The Underground Huddle

"The Next Mission" features a conversation with Jesse Grapes, current Headmaster at Benedictine College Preparatory in Goochland, VA. The shared responsibility of the BCP faculty, staff, alumni, and students is to form "Cadets as Christian men of conscience, discipline, and achievement". Before becoming an educator, Mr. Grapes served our country and earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart as an infantry platoon commander in the United States Marine Corps.

"The Pack Mentality" features a conversation with a 40-year educator & coach, Dave Savino. After spending 20 seasons coaching at one high school, he took a hiatus for seven years when his daughter was born. After returning to the sport he loves in 2014, Coach Savino led his new high school baseball team to a championship in only his second year as their head coach. When asked what is the one thing he would tell a first year coach he needs to establish in season one, Coach Savino talked about “The Pack Mentality”, which means putting all of your individual statistics aside and committing to your “Pack”. Listen to hear more from Coach Savino and all of the lessons that have helped his former students & athletes succeed in their lives beyond the classroom & the diamond.

"Developing a Sense of Sacrifice" features a conversation with a teaching & coaching legend, Kenny Lewis. Currently in his 32nd year as an educator, Coach Lewis not only has impacted thousands of his students' lives but his players as well. A 2x baseball state champion at the high school level, Coach Lewis says that the way student-athletes are able to develop a sense of sacrifice growing up playing sports makes them formidable competitors in the business world. Listen more to pull from the experiences & stories told from Coach Lewis in order to apply them to your life so that you can get off the bench and go strive for excellence.

"Hard. Smart. Together." features a conversation with a 3x state champion high school baseball coach, Charlie Dragum. Recently retired, Coach Dragum took over a program in its very first year of existence and led it to become a perennial powerhouse. Listen to hear more about Coach Dragum's "non-negotiables" and his 3 keys to leading: teaching, collaborating, and delegating. 

"Victory Defined" features a conversation with Loren Johnson, the head football coach at Highland Springs High School in Richmond, VA. Coach Johnson played his college ball at Virginia Tech and coached at a few different high schools before arriving at Highland Springs in 2008, where he has led the Springers to state championships in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Listen in to hear Ben & Coach Johnson discuss the definition of "Total Victory", how the game of football is a great vehicle to get us where we want to be, and more.

"The Struggle is Real" features an interview with Brennan Marion, Offensive Coordinator for the Bison football team at Howard University. Despite multiple challenges & setbacks like changing schools every year growing up, friends getting shot, a mother getting arrested, being homeless, and season-ending knee injuries, Coach Marion has bounced back from it all. After setting NCAA records at Tulsa University as a wide receiver, Brennan had a 2-year stint in the NFL before beginning his coaching career. When asked what pieces of advice he'd give someone who says they're sick of living a life of mediocrity, Brennan says "The first thing I'm going to ask them is 'Are you doing what you love to do?' The next thing I'll ask is 'What do you want to do?' The third thing I'm going to tell them is to put all your energy into what you want to do. And then fourth and final, is to make a goal...and then have somebody that is going to hold you accountable to those goals". *UPDATE: as of 2019, Brennan Marion is the current Offensive Coordinator at William & Mary University*

"Six Guidelines to Goal Setting" features a conversation with Jake Just, a head football coach at Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, PA. In this episode, 6 guidelines to goal setting are discussed, and Ben & Jake each present the listeners with goals of their own & New Year's resolutions for 2018. 

"From Worst to First" features an interview with Coach Josh Just, a lifelong high school teacher, administrator, and football coach. Discussion topics of this episode include commitment, discipline, and respect. Listen to hear more about Coach Just's upbringing, how he built a football program from 0-10 to region champs, and how he believes that low expectations equals low achievements. “As coaches, we have to make sure that we hold our values to make better people. We can bend and be flexible, but that’s not really helping you. Any time we bend and lower our expectations, all we’re doing is lowering the achievement of that student-athlete.”