New football coach at Benton Harbor looks to turn program around, heading into Week 3 matchup 0-2

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- This Friday marks another week of high school football in Michiana.

This week, ABC57 viewers chose Benton Harbor vs. Dowagiac for the Game of the Week.

New Benton Harbor Head Coach Dan McGinnis says he's stepping in to rebuild the Tigers football program from the ground up and flip the script from last season's 0-9 record.

"The first thing is to build a foundation and to change the culture of the program," says McGinnis.

As McGinnis enters week three in his first season leading the Tigers, he says it's all about getting back to the basics of the sport and re-teaching the fundamentals, but most importantly instilling a never-give-up attitude in his team.

"Even the last game, Lakewood, coaches were profusely praising us for our sportsmanship, level of play, and that we didn't give up," says McGinnis. "So those are the things we're trying to institute."

That Lakewood game in week two ended in a 56-6 loss for the Tigers, marking their second loss of the season.

However, McGinnis says he saw promise in their offense during that game which rushed for more yards than their opponent.

"Our offense that we run actually is geared for this type of thing, a team that's not going to overpower you, but with quickness and athleticism, we can get to the outside, we can pop really quickly inside," explains McGinnis.

He says his offense has no problem moving the ball thanks to a solid offensive core made up of dynamic athletes like Senior Marquell Johnson, Junior Tight End Overtus Franklin, and Senior Quarterback Damonee McBride.

The defensive line is where the team is struggling and giving up easy touchdowns, but they're making adjustments.

"I think we had some people out of position the first couple games so we're making some changes, thinning some areas," McGinnis says.

With his experience as a State-Champion Track Coach at Saint Joseph High School and more than a dozen years on the sidelines there too, Coach McGinnis knows what kind of coaching it takes to build winning athletes.

And with his day job as Director of Public Safety, he knows he needs to demonstrate positive leadership to his players.

"We're not yelling at them; we're not cussing them out," says McGinnis. "So that was the first kind of culture change, if you make a mistake, build your team back up, it's next play."

Even in just three weeks, he's noticed a major shift of tone on his squad, one of belief.

"They come to practice still hungry, and they don't give up, they fight hard to the final whistle, the final horn, and I believe that they're starting to believe that we can turn this program around now," McGinnis says.