Fairchild succeeds Hertzog in leading gridiron Bearcats
ORRICK – Eric Fairchild looks to pick up where Matt Hertzog left off in coaching Orrick’s varsity 8-man football program.
Now employed by the Holden R-III School District, Hertzog coached for three seasons at Orrick – one season of 11-man football, two seasons of 8-man football. During his stint, the Bearcats went 16-7, reaching the state semifinals in their first 8-man season.
“I thank him for all the hard work he did, and the … shape that he left it (program) in was fantastic,” Fairchild said Aug. 21 on the Orrick practice field.
Fairchild, who helmed the 8-man program at Bishop LeBlond of St. Joseph last season, inherits a program with several key personnel from Hertzog’s stint still in place, including assistant coaches Tom Pierce and Zach McGill. Pierce focuses on the offense and McGill focuses on the defense, as they did under Hertzog, Fairchild said. The transition between head coaches has “been fairly seamless,” he said.
Key returning players include junior quarterback…