Hupp era as Red Devil head football coach comes to an end

“The opportunity to come over to Ravenswood and be that head coach and be a part of that program was fun and amazing,” Hupp said. “I worked with some really great coaches along the way. I enjoyed my time with all the boys. I enjoyed getting to guide them not only about football but also teaching them about life and what it means to be a productive young man and be a part of the community.”

Hupp knew when taking the Ravenswood job that he wasn’t going to be in charge of just any high school football program.

He knew how special Ravenswood and football was and is.

“How rich the community is with regards to football and how rooted it is, and you know how people come out and support those guys all the time. It was a really good experience.”

Hupp obviously wishes he could have directed Ravenswood to more wins during his six-season run.

Hupp’s best seasons were his first two at the helm. Ravenswood went 3-7 in both the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.

“Would have loved to have had more wins,” Hupp said. “Would have loved to have put that together. I always felt if a couple of things would have gone differently, we would have been in a different spot.

“Injuries, whatever it may be, when you’re at a small school those things can make it tough.”

Ravenswood faced off with some outstanding teams during Hupp’s time as the Devil leader.

“When you’re playing in the LKC (Little Kanawha Conference) it’s a tough conference. It’s loaded and you just don’t have any room for mistakes.”

The lone win for Ravenswood this season came against a Class A playoff team in Sherman.

The 2023 schedule featured four other playoff schools in Williamstown, Doddridge County, Wahama and St. Marys.

Hupp is a 1990 graduate of Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio, where he was a standout football player and wrestler.

He moved on to West Liberty State University where he was a starting lineman for Bob Eaton’s Hilltopper teams. He graduated from the Northern Panhandle school in 1994.

West Liberty is where he met his wife, Chris (Fridley), a Ravenswood native.

The two came to Jackson County in the ‘90s. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Erica and Karlee.

He praised his family for their involvement with his coaching career. “Whether it was middle school, over in Ohio, or here, they were always backing me. It was always a family thing.”

Hupp got involved in youth football when first arriving in Jackson County. He later became Ravenswood Middle School’s head football coach.

He worked at Southern Local for three years under Mike Chancey, the son of coaching legend and Jackson County native Charles Chancey, before becoming Ravenswood’s head coach.

While Hupp is excited about his new job as an assistant principal (he had been a counselor at Ravenswood Grade School), he knows the coaching phase of his life will be missed.

“When I gave up wrestling, I missed it,” said Hupp, who guided those on the mats for six seasons. “It really hasn’t set in yet. It’s the offseason, we just finished collecting gear on Tuesday. We’re kind of in that process of end-of-the-season stuff.

“This summer sitting around the house, those urges of should I be out there doing 7-on-7s or your June practices is when it will hit me. I’m sure when we hit the fall, those fall evenings on a Friday night it’s going to seem odd not being on that field. There’s nothing like Friday night lights.

“There’s nothing like being out there on Friday nights with the lights shining down and being out there with your kids being ready to run out of that tunnel and on to the field.”

Hupp hopes he’s helped make a difference in those he coached.

“I’ve enjoyed watching the kids grow. I’ve enjoyed watching them get out in the work force and grow.”