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Delquan Bigelow wants to build more than a football program. The new coach, hired this month at Prince Edward County High, said his goals stretch beyond the football field.

“My main thing is building great men as well as great athletes, because one day, it won’t matter if you made it to the NFL or not, but the sport stops,” Bigelow said. “I want to teach those skills you can take with you off the field.”

And Bigelow knows what he’s talking about, when it comes to the sport stopping for players. A Farmville native and graduate of Prince Edward County High, Bigelow was a three-year letterman at running back at Averett University in Danville. He rushed for 327 career yards on 71 carries, while also earning USA South All-Conference honors as a kick return specialist. But his playing career was stopped short due to injuries in 2021. That’s when he started getting involved as a coach. For his first two years as a coach, Bigelow worked with running backs, cornerbacks and the kick return game at Chatham High near Averett. After that, in 2023, he returned to Prince Edward County, working with Hampden-Sydney College as the running backs coach. When the opportunity came to take over the Eagles’ program, Bigelow said it was something he couldn’t pass up.

“The thing I enjoy is building relationships,” Bigelow said. “I feel like when you have a good coach, you can pick up the phone and still talk to him 20 years from now. That’s what I want to be for these guys.”

BUILDING A BRAND

Bigelow also recognizes that building a team, building a brand is a process. It’s not something he expects the Eagles to get perfect from the get-go.

“I’m expecting good things but if things don’t go good, I’m fine with that also, because it’s a learning process,” Bigelow said.

Taking over a team that went 3-7 overall and 3-3 in James River District play, Bigelow knows the team struggled at times last season, especially on defense. The Eagles gave up 460 points, surrendering an average of 46 per game. But there were positives too, including a two-game winning streak to end the season.

“The challenges I see are what every new coach faces,” Bigelow said. “You just gotta build those relationships and figure out where you put certain pieces. Beyond that, we’re just gonna be in rebuild mode. My plan is to get us where we need to be within the next three years and I’m gonna instill that in my staff, my players and hopefully we see Prince Edward as a top team in the district.”

As part of that, Bigelow is leading two key pushes. The first is to get the word out to all potential players in the district. If you want to play football, it’s time to come try out. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman, senior or somewhere in between. He wants to take as many players to the season as possible.

One change for this year is the style of play. Last year, the team was heavily focused on the run, building off that through play-action to open up the pass. Bigelow wants to run the shotgun and pistol, but at the same time, he wants to build an offense based around the skills of his players. “My style, I plan to run and pass, keep it balanced,” Bigelow said. “I’m gonna switch it up as much as I can. When you’re stuck to one thing, a lot of times the other team can key in and shut you down.”

Now he’s the head coach, the one in charge of driving the whole team forward. Bigelow said he’s ready for that challenge.

“The kids want it, so I’m gonna go out there, drive and add my motivation,” Bigelow said.