RCHS has welcomed a large amount of new staff and new coaches to the community. One of the biggest changes to the school was an entire new coaching staff for the football team. A member of that new staff is Coach Ben Kabzinski. 

Coach Kabzinski, better known as “Coach K,” graduated from Southern Virginia University (SVU) in 2020 where he played football as an offensive lineman. He is now an offensive line coach and a special education teacher at Rockbridge.

Coach K said, “The transition from being a player at SVU to coaching here at RCHS has been seamless. Coach Cox is helping me learn more every day, as well as the players,” said Kabzinski, “I give a lot of credit to the players though, because they teach me things every day just as much as I teach them. For that I am incredibly thankful for them,” said Kabzinski. 

Choosing a workplace straight out of college can be difficult but Coach K knew that RCHS was right for him. 

“I have been here in the community for so long, I wanted to make a difference. So by combining both my love for football and my drive to make a difference, RCHS was the perfect place for me to do that,” said Kabzinski.

On Aug. 27, the ‘Cats and the Fighting Blues battled it out in the annual county clash. Coach K was on the sideline and helped coach the team to another victory. This win was special to Kabzinski for multiple reasons.

“The win against PM felt good to build on for the rest of the season. For me it felt good because not only did we beat PM, but also one of my old college coaches. So that made the win just as sweet.” said Kabzinski. “I think it helped us feel like we can fight through anything and never quit, and that will be a big tool for us to use moving forward.”

The athletes on the team are also excited to have Coach K as one of their coaches. Senior running back Daronde Stores loves having Kabzinski as a coach.

“Me and Coach K seemed to click from the very first time we met each other,” said Stores. “He always brings positive energy and never lets us drop our heads. I have never heard a negative word come out of his mouth.” 

Coach K is looking forward to watching the team fight through the rest of their season and be alongside them the entire time. 

Kabzinski says, “I am looking forward to seeing that hard work come together and pay off even more throughout the rest of this season.”

Coach K is looking forward to the rest of the season as a coach and many more years to come while being a member of the Wildcats.