OUR VIEW: CCHS coach deserves credit for improvement

» Blue Devil football coach did a great job in his first season at the helm, but faces challenge with 19 seniors graduating.

Outside the borders of Culpeper County, the 3-7 record of the CCHS Blue Devils football team isn’t likely to create a lot of waves. But locals know it’s quite a turnaround and we’ve been impressed with the job Mike Williams has done as Culpeper’s first-year head coach.

Williams took over a program that had hit bottom after going 0-10 last season and winning only six games in four years. Williams himself hadn’t put together a winning record as a head coach at Holston and Rappahannock County and his hiring drew some criticism this summer.

It’s hard to say that after one season with yet another losing record that Williams has proven the critics wrong, but anyone who has taken a close look at the program knows the coach has done an admirable job.

Winning three games — and in doing so taking care of business against teams they matched up with favorably — is a sign that the Blue Devils are playing better football. Once a program plagued by penalties and other mistakes, Culpeper kept its head in the game most of the time this season and the overall attitude at Broman Field was remarkably positive.

This season should be seen as a reminder that producing winning records shouldn’t be the only gauge for a high school coach’s success. Williams still hasn’t had a winning season. Next year will be a challenge after losing 19 seniors, most of whom were key contributors this season, but that doesn’t mean hiring Williams wasn’t a good move.

The Blue Devils are improving, a fact made clear not only by their record, but also the way they competed against good teams late in the season. And for that they should be congratulated.