“God put me in this situation”: Prince Edward gets new football coach

It started earlier this month and there are no plans to stop anytime soon. Melvin Mitchell, Prince Edward County High’s new football coach, and some of his team members can be found at various churches in the county on Sunday mornings. The goal is to introduce the team and the new football coach to people in the area.

“Every Sunday we visit a different church in the community,” Mitchell said. “We just want to get out there, get people excited and get them back in support of sport in Prince Edward.”

Mitchell took the position late, taking over from another rookie. Health reasons forced Delquan Bigelow to step down after taking over the team in July. Now Mitchell, who many people in Prince Edward know as a longtime coach and commissioner of the youth soccer league, is taking over the position. And he wants to focus on rebuilding the connection between Prince Edward and his soccer team.

“What I loved about the youth league was that you could see grandma and grandpa on the sidelines cheering on their boys,” Mitchell said. “It kind of spurs them on to do more. They see people on the sidelines, they see people coming to cheer them on, and that spurs them on to do more.”

Mitchell, himself a graduate of Prince Edward University, said he remembers when it was like that about 40 years ago. And he wants to bring that feeling back.

“When I was in school, before I was even allowed on the field, you could barely walk around at football games in the ’80s because there were so many people there,” Mitchell said. “Now when I go to games, I can see almost everyone at a glance.”

Developing a love of football

Above all, Mitchell wants to help the players have fun and develop a love of football like he did as a child.

“I’ve always had a special love for the game, for as long as I can remember,” Mitchell said. “I fell in love with the game in 1982. Most kids were running around outside on Sundays, but I was sitting in front of the TV on Sundays watching football.”

Mitchell was a San Francisco 49ers fan as a child and loved watching players like Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana who were inspired by their passion for the game. And he wants to inspire his own players, but not just on the field.

“I tell my kids here I try to coach life before football,” Mitchell said. “My biggest wins might not show up in the win-loss column, and that’s OK with me. If I can help that young kid get into college, or if I can help one of them through a life situation, that’s a win for me.”

Mitchell said he wants to be a mentor, someone they can turn to when they need advice or help or just because they know he cares about them.

“God put me in this position,” Mitchell said. “To understand these kids, you have to have been through something yourself. And I wasn’t the greatest kid, I was pretty stubborn. And it meant a lot to me that my grandmother, my mother, put so much love into me and encouraged me to be better, to do better. All of that finally worked. And I want to be there for these kids in the same way.”

This means that we do things as a team outside of the football field. Players and coaches have movie nights together, eat together and go to a football game at Hampden-Sydney College on Saturdays.

New football coach wants to rebuild

Mitchell, who took over a team that was 3-7 overall and 3-3 in the James River District, knows the players struggled at times last season, especially on defense. The Eagles allowed 460 points, an average of 46 per game. But there were positives, including a two-game winning streak to end the season. He wants to build on that and apply what he learned in 10 years as a youth league coach and four years as commissioner. When he started, about 40 to 50 kids came to games. By the end of his time as commissioner last year, that number had increased to 153.

“We have to make sure the kids have fun, that’s the most important thing,” Mitchell said. “If we can support them, I think that will encourage them.”

His attitude and energy were what caught the eye of Prince Edward County High School athletic director Chris Baird when he brought him on board.

“Melvin is fully committed to the athletic vision and is committed to the process,” Baird said. “His passion for the program and its future success is what stands out and I am excited to have him on the team.”

Here’s how Mitchell sees this year’s plan: He envisions an uptempo style that fits the players he has at Prince Edward, incorporating the spread offense along with plenty of run-pass option plays. He also plans to bring back the pistol formation. And as he designs plays and selects starters, the community will see coaches and players on the road to get to know them.

“I want to rebuild that, that culture that we had,” Mitchell said. “I want to get that Eagle pride back.”