Valley’s High School Varsity Football coach, David Bishop, has been named the Washington Commanders’ “Tackle Coach  of the for Week” 1. The Washington Commanders “Tackle Coach of the Week” is an award given by the Washington Commanders Foundation to recognize high school football coaches who exemplify leadership, community involvement and dedication to their players both on and off the field. The recognition brought both surprise and pride to the Valley Football program. 

“First thing, [I was] humbled just by the honor,” Bishop said. “I definitely didn’t see it coming, so it was a surprise. But for me, even thinking about being honored, it’s really a reflection of the entire coaching staff and the players and the team. Everyone really is part of the award to me.”Since taking over the program, Bishop has focused on building a strong culture, rather than just chasing wins and losses. 

“I just end up taking over as trying to build the culture of the program, but not worried about the wins and losses, but the culture,” Bishop said. “By doing that, it’s really kind of just changed the program. The kids have all bought in. And it’s just being consistent over these years that we’ve had a lot of success, and this year, the team is doing great on and off the field.” 

The award comes with more than just recognition: the Commanders invited the coaching staff to a game and donated $2,000 to the Valley football program.

“As far as the award, it’s definitely exciting to be a part of that,” Bishop said. “I know they all get to go to a game. The Commanders invited us to a game. Probably the best thing I liked about it is they actually donated $2,000 to the program, so that money is going to go right to the kids. Because that, to me, that’s what it’s all about.”