SOUTHERN PINES — Through his four years as a high school football assistant coach, Chris Campolieta had always been on the learning side of coaching clinics. That changed for the 27-year-old Richmond assistant on Saturday.
Campolieta, who has spent the last three seasons as Richmond Senior High School’s varsity defensive backs coach, was one of just 11 coaches to present at the 13th annual Pinecrest Coaches Clinic.
The free clinic was held at Sandhills Athletic Conference opponent Pinecrest High School hosted by Patriots head coach Chris Metzger. The sponsors this year were the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Johnson and Lambe Sporting Goods.
Headlining the day-long event was Coach Todd Goebbel, North Carolina State University’s special teams coordinator and tight end coach. Dutch Fork High School, based in Irmo, S.C., sent defensive coordinator Nick Pelham to speak, after the Foxes won their fourth-straight 5A state title in 2019.
Joining Campolieta from the Raider coaching staff as clinic participants were head coach Bryan Till, junior varsity head coach Patrick Hope, defensive assistants Chris Dennis, James Johnson and Dennis Toney and offensive line assistant Kevin Alfonso.
Former Richmond head coach Paul Hoggard (2007-2014) was also on hand to present, as the current John A. Holmes High School head coach broke down his team’s offensive system.
Campolieta explained that Metzger reached out to him over the holiday break and asked if he’d be willing to present, which Campolieta accepted.
“When Coach Metzger asked me to present, I knew it would be a great opportunity,” Campolieta shared. “My presentation went well, considering this was my first time presenting anything. These clinics are all about the experience, and I hope everyone left with at least one thing they can use.
“It was really an honor,” he added. “It was really cool to have my name on the same piece of paper as Coach Goebbel and Coach Hoggard. It was great to speak to other coaches and learn from them. Being involved with some of the best in our business in our state was pretty special.”
Campolieta attended several sessions throughout the morning period before presenting in the final afternoon slot. His presentation was titled “Defensive Back Philosophy, Drill Work and Weekly Preparations.”
This past season, Campolieta had four seniors playing under him on Friday nights, all of whom were two-year varsity starters. Cornerbacks Zyier Baldwin and D’Marcus Harrington, along with safeties Dereck Barringer and Xavion Lindsey, led Richmond’s secondary and helped limit opposing teams to just 14.9 points per game.
Harrington, who signed his letter of intent with Campbell University in mid-December, along with Barringer earned their second-straight All-SAC honor after their senior campaigns. Baldwin was chosen for the first time this year, while Lindsey made the postseason team as a junior.
Barringer and Lindsey have also fielded offers in recent weeks, getting them from Barton College and Fayetteville State University, respectively.
Needless to say, Campolieta has had some talented defensive backs under his tutelage the last couple of seasons.
“I basically went through how we decide to coach our DBs, and talked about the things I want them to do and how it’s important,” Campolieta explained. “A lot of our philosophy (at Richmond) is not just on the field, but off of it, too.
“Then I shared some of the drills we do every day in practice to get ready for Friday nights,” he continued. “We’ve had lots of success because of players we’ve had, so that made it easier to talk about.”
Other areas Campolieta touched on were film analysis, how the Raiders’ coaches game plan Monday through Thursday (with an emphasis on the secondary) and how the team sets season-long goals for its players to achieve.
A graduate of Providence High School, Campolieta went on to play defensive back and special teams at Guilford College from 2012 through 2015. He played in 37 games during his career, and finished with 25 career tackles.
While he’s not from Richmond County, Campolieta expressed how the last four years as a Raider assistant and a teacher at Hamlet Middle School have made him feel the connection to Richmond’s deep history and tradition.
“It’s interesting because I’m not from Richmond County, but I feel like it’s my home,” he said. “I bleed green and gold, and this opportunity to present was a really good reflection of how successful out program has been.
“Any time these clinics come about, coaches listen and learn lots of things,” he closed. “It’s not always about football, but this is a fraternity I’m glad to be a part of. I learned a lot from a lot of high-quality coaches on Saturday.”
The Raiders will hold their annual team banquet on Monday, Feb. 10, in the school’s cafeteria.
