Morgantown stays in-house, hires Lacy as new football coach

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a search that drew attention from around the country, Morgantown High School has a new football coach, and he was already on the current staff. Defensive coordinator Matt Lacy has been promoted to head coach and will lead the Mohigans heading into the 2016 season.

“It was a big weight lifted off my shoulders,” Lacy said of his reaction when he learned he was being recommended to the board of education for the job. “But also a big weight put on my shoulders with the responsibilities of running the top program in the state. The expectations that come with this job are extremely high. Everybody expects us to be one of those programs competing for state tiles each year.”

Former head coach John Bowers resigned in May, to become an assistant principal at South Middle School in Monongalia County, after leading the program for the past 12 seasons and to back-to-back state titles in 2004 and 2005.

“It’s like following Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick. You’ve got these guys who have done phenomenal jobs and you’re the next guy. So, I’ve got big shoes to fill.”

The opportunity to be a head coach has been a long time coming for Lacy, who first joined the Mohigans’ coaching staff in 1999 as a volunteer assistant coach for the freshmen football team.

Lacy was promoted to head coach of the freshmen team in 2002 and then to a varsity assistant in 2003. In 2014, Bowers named Lacy defensive coordinator, a position he has held since.

“I’ve had the opportunity to coach the offensive and defensive lines, the secondary, linebackers, running backs, quarterbacks, wide receivers — at some stage in my career I’ve coached every position out there.”

The two biggest influences on Lacy’s football career have been the two head coaches he played for and worked for at Morgantown High School. Lacy played for Glen McNew, then coached on Bowers’ staff. McNew and Bowers have a combined four state championships and have left big expectations for Lacy and his staff to live up to.

“These guys have been able to win and accomplish great things. Coach McNew and Coach Bowers both won state titles, so I’ve got a lot to live up to following those guys,” Lacy said. “It’s like following Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick. You’ve got these guys who have done phenomenal jobs and you’re the next guy. So, I’ve got big shoes to fill.”

Matt Lacy address the team during a 7-on-7 tournament in Wheeling.
Matt Lacy addresses the team during a 7-on-7 tournament in Wheeling.

The opportunity to head up one of the top programs in the state of West Virginia drew national interest. Dozens of applications were submitted. Coaches across West Virginia inquired about the position while applications from as far away as Florida were reviewed.

In the end, the search committee and Monongalia County School Board did not need to look outside the Mohigan family to find their next coach.

With fall camp scheduled to begin in four weeks, Lacy must hit the ground running to prepare for the 2016 season, although he has had a head start. Lacy assumed interim head coaching duties during the three-week practice season and the remaining coaching staff, Lacy said, kept the program moving forward without missing a beat.

Lacy, who has called the defense the past two seasons, said he will likely maintain that role at least for this season, while grooming another assistant to eventually take the reigns, allowing Lacy to oversee the program.

Bowers also ran the offense during his tenure. With his departure, long-time assistant Jason Kruger will take over those offensive duties.

There are also three assistant coaching positions to fill. Lacy needs to replace himself on the varsity staff, plus hire two new freshmen coaches.

Morgantown opens the season August 26th at home versus Anacostia out of Washington, D.C.





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