The Matt Varney era at the helm of the Pirate ship began with a success.   After the untimely passing of Coach Philip Haywood, there was naturally some concern of how the program would carry on in his absence.   Those questions were answered with a universal approval on Pond Creek as the Pirates completed a 12-2 season and a narrow loss in the semifinals 34-29 to eventual champs Lexington Christian.   Along the way, Belfry won an impressive 9 games in a row, including a couple playoff wins, via the running clock.  

What lies ahead in 2026 for the Belfry program?   The Pirates were hit really hard by graduation, losing 15 seniors, many of whom were 3 or 4 year starters.  Replacing that type of experience and leadership will be a tough task.  They do return a lot of production in the backfield as Eli Caudill, JB Woolum and Dante Davis all return, as well as a lot of underclassmen who saw lots of action in the blowout wins last season.  Sophomore QB Gabe Varney is expected to replace 4 year starter Chase Varney running the offense.  

One thing you can always count on with Belfry is they will be fundamentally sound, they will play with physicality and toughness, and they will be well coached.  This coaching staff remained in tact after Coach Haywood's passing, many of whom have coached at Belfry for 20 years or more.  That continuity is really tough to find.  There will be some growing  pains expected for 2026 as this team will be young, but the Pirates have a knack for being well seasoned by playoff time and everybody on Pond Creek will be expecting a competitive effort from the Big Red.  

Coach Varney did an incredible job in his first season at the helm and showed top notch leadership through a tough offseason. Belfry shined in game one against an East Carter team that has made tremendous strides over the last decade and continued being a strong contender, reaching the state semifinals for the fourth time in this decade.

Key players graduating

QB Chase Varney: 1,335 passing yards, 19 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions.

RB/WR Ace Caudill: 676 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns to go along with 12 receptions, 308 yards and 3 touchdowns.

WR Cayden Varney: 13 receptions for 400 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Varney was also a threat on kick returns, running one back for a touchdown. Defensively, he picked off 3 passes.

LB Keaton Deskins: Nearly 100 tackles for the Pirates last season.

Kicker Nick Savage: Went 76/79 on PATs, missing only three on the entire season.

Key players returning

RB/WR J.B. Woolum: Led the team in both rushing and receiving. 1,066 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns while catching 24 passes for 520 yards and 6 touchdowns. Also had 4 interceptions defensively.

RB Dante Davis: 898 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

LB Jameson Chaffin: Led the team with 123 tackles and 9 tackles for losses.

DB Eli Caudill: 6 interceptions for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns\

LB Tristan Chapman: Had 52 tackles and led the team in sacks with 4.

Belfry has an extremely disciplined football program and I expect that they will continue to be a threat to go all the way. They execute their system so well and have nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns returning between J.B. Woolum and Dante Davis. Defensively, they return seven of their ten leading tacklers. There are some key graduations for the Pirates, but Coach Varney has to be excited knowing the talent he has coming back this season.

Do all the teams they play really have a white base on their helmet as appears on this graphic.

Bump.