ZHS Has a New Head Football Coach

Zanesville High School made an announcement Thursday morning naming a new head football coach.

T.J. Carper comes to the Blue Devils program after serving three seasons as head coach for Vinton County High School in MacArthur.  He took over a Vikings program that had won just 38 of its
previous 164 games, and produced a 22-11 record with OHSAA state playoff appearances each season. Vinton County had not had a winning season since 2004 before going 7-4 in 2021.

The Bluefield, Va., native was a first-team all-state player at Graham High School and holds 10 school records. He led the state of Virginia with 11 interceptions (2006) and was selected as a
team captain for the VHSCA All-Star Game That led Carper to Marshall University, where he was team captain for two seasons (2011, 2012). He played in two bowl games for the Thundering Herd, and also earned the J.D. Coffman and Chad Pennington Leadership team awards. He graduated in 2012 with a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, and four years later earned a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University.

Carper’s coaching career began at Cabell Midland High School in Ona, W.Va., just east of Huntington and Marshall University. He served as defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator from 2014 to 2020, helping the Knights to three conference championships, three undefeated regular seasons, and six straight playoff appearances. CMHS made five state semifinal appearances and was state runner-up twice. Carper’s efforts helped 25 athletes move on to play collegiately, including 10 who committed to NCAA Division I programs.

Carper also puts a heavy emphasis on community involvement for his program, and the Vikings were part of many initiatives within Vinton County.

Carper becomes the 33rd coach to lead the Zanesville Blue Devils.