Now a senior, Coppock is one of those players the eighth graders and sophomores revere. Heโs the starting free safety for a 6-1 team, was first-team all-Greater Western Ohio Conference last year, has offers to play college football, is a team captain and has the โMoCโ sticker on his helmet.
MoC stands for Man of Centerville. Head coach Brent Ullery began the tradition four years ago of singling out players who embodied the teamโs core values. The sticker is available to all players.
โWe wanted it to mean something to the kids, we wanted to celebrate kids, and we wanted it to be something completely nonperformance based,โ Ullery said. โIt creates role models, it glorifies those that are doing things the right way, and it gives others something to aim for. It helps us fight for our culture daily.โ
Coppock earned MoC status last year after the third game. This year he was elected a team captain and got his MoC sticker on the Monday before the first game. And he will help lead his team onto the field Friday night at Springfield (3-4, 2-2) trying to keep the Elks (5-0 GWOC) alone in first place. Centerville ranks ninth in this weekโs Associated Press state poll.
โBeing named a captain was just an absolute blessing,โ he said. โAnd I was extremely honored by the fact that my teammates thought of me and looked at me as a leader. It comes with a lot of responsibility because it means you got to bring everything you have every single day.โ
Ullery appreciates Coppockโs humility, coachable personality and the energy he brings to the team.
โHeโs just an all-around team player,โ Ullery said. โYou tell him a new way to serve others and heโs going to do it. He doesnโt second guess it in any way. His best trait that makes a good leader is heโs a great follower. Heโll follow when itโs time to follow, but heโs not afraid to speak up and stand up for what he believes is right in the moment.โ
Coppock, who is 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, adds to his MoC qualities with a physical style of play. He leads the team with 64 tackles and shares team leads with two interceptions and three pass deflections.
โI always consider myself a physical player, but at the same time Iโm pretty cerebral,โ Coppock said. โI feel like I can read things out, let the game play a little slower โ even though Iโm not necessarily a speed guy โ with film study and then make my reads and trust my instincts.โ
This wonโt be Coppockโs final football season. He has Division I FCS offers from Valparaiso, Butler and Bucknell, and Division II offers from Ohio Dominican, Notre Dame College and Tiffin. He wants to earn a business degree.
โGetting the scholarship, getting some of my college paid for to alleviate some stress from my parents is definitely a goal,โ he said. โBut itโs all secondary to the team. The ultimate goal is to win a state championship and go as far as possible with the team.โ
Coppockโs mindset goes back to the past two years when he watched team captains. Matt Karpinsky, an all-league linebacker, was Coppockโs primary role model. Karpinsky now plays at the Naval Academy.
โI basically just followed him wherever he went,โ Coppock said. โHe was an absolute role model for me, and thatโs what Iโm trying to be to the guys below me now.โ
One more thing keeps the Elks driving hard to live up and achieve the MoC identity. During the review of each game film, they count the number of loafs โ defined as changing speed in the middle of the play. Then a leader in each position group leads everyone in an up-down for each loaf caught on film.
โEveryone aims at zero loafs โ thatโs the ultimate goal,โ Coppock said. โAnd if we all have no loafs, the outcome is most certainly swaying our way.โ
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