BOSCOBEL - Boscobel High School’s football program will have new leadership for the 2023 season.

On April 10, the Boscobel Area School District Board of Education unanimously approved Marc Chiefari as the 27th head football coach in the program’s modern (since 1924) history.

Chiefari will be taking over for Rob Scherrer, who is leaving after the school year for an administrative role in another district. Scherrer, who coached the football program for one season, was also the school’s athletic director, assistant principal and head basketball coach, and also worked non-varsity games as an official.

Last season, Chefari got a good look at the Bulldogs, as he was the offensive coordinator for Fennimore last year, his seventh as a coach within the Eagles’ program. The two schools met to close out the 2022 season, with Fennimore winning 41–7 in the 90th game played all-time in the series. In addition, he has also been a teacher at Boscobel for the last three years, so he is already familiar with the students he’ll be coaching this fall.

“I have established relationships with many student–athletes, and when I found out there was an opportunity to apply for this position, I immediately thought about those athletes and how much I’d love to work with them not just in the classroom, but on the field as well,” Chiefari said.

Chiefari will be Boscobel’s fifth head coach in the past six seasons, including its third new head coach in the past three seasons.

Boscobel’s last winning season came in 1995 under David Floyd, and the program has had 10 head coaches since Floyd left the position after the 1997 season.

Despite the lack of recent on-field success in the program, Chiefari said that winning the rivalry game with Riverdale on Sept. 29, making the playoffs, which would be a first for the Bulldogs, and winning a conference title, which the program hasn’t done since 1968, are the stated on-the-field goals for Boscobel. However, he also believes there is work to be done off the field as well.

“Our vision for this year and beyond is to build a football family that spans the entire program,” Chiefari said.

In the coming weeks, there will be player and parent meetings to organize off-season activities, which Chiefari says will set the standard for the football program, including establishing a weight room identity. Chiefari is also counting on community support to drive the program’s success, and says he considers community to be very important to that effort.

“Boscobel is a tight-knit community, and I would like to use that as a strength that drives our football program,” Chiefari said. “Just like in education, I need parents willing to work with me in partnership to get our players to maximize their potential and create a community within the sport of football.”

Shortly after being approved as Boscobel’s head coach, Chiefari moved quickly to secure most of last year’s assistant coaches to work on his staff in 2023. Chiefari said he expects that his staff and players will be involved in community efforts.

“I want everyone to feel included and a part of our community. I want our players to feel supported and I want our fans to help with their energy on Friday nights. I want partnerships with parents that will allow me to push their children, and I want their peers to learn more about what football can offer the school district. I would like our football players and staff to be involved in the Boscobel community, creating a culture with the community at the center of it,” Chiefari said. “I hope to do this by including new traditions and building on old traditions by creating events that celebrate our program and our athletes.”