by Geoff Fox
The Hancock Panthers football season is still a little over two months away, but there will be some offseason practices starting this week to get the players ready for the upcoming season and to get familiar with four new coaches on Head Coach Greg Cartrette’s staff.
The four new coaches are Chip Breeden, Robbie Ambrose, Paul Colon, and Curt Snyder.
Breeden and Ambrose come to the Panthers after serving as coaches at Berkeley Springs High School the last few years.
Breeden, who has 30 years of high school coaching experience, will serve as Cartrette’s offensive and defensive line coach.
Over his career, Breeden has served as a head coach, assistant head coach, and offensive/defensive line coach for Berkeley Springs and Hedgesville.
Ambrose will serve as Cartrette’s Defensive Coordinator this year.
In his 20+ year career of coaching at the high school and middle school levels, Ambrose has been an assistant coach at various positions, as well as defensive coordinator at Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw.
Paul Colon, with 10 years of high school and middle school coaching experience, will be Cartrette’s Special Coordinator for the Panthers.
Colon has been an assistant coach of the offensive and defensive line and worked with special teams at Osborne Park High School in Manassas, Va., and Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pa.
The last coach joining Cartrette’s staff is Curt Snyder who will serve as character coach with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“I am excited to have a new coaching staff that brings this level of experience to Hancock Panther football,” Cartrette said.
He said he’ll “greatly miss” his staff from last year and thanks them for the job they did in his first year.
One coach, he added, promised only one year to help get his feet wet in the community and the other had a career change that meant he wouldn’t be able to continue coaching in Hancock.
As for the upcoming season, Cartrette said there are two upcoming seniors Cartrette said to keep an eye on is quarterback/linebacker Logan Hendershot, who was the Offensive MVP last season, and running back/middle linebacker Jayten McCarty, who was the Defensive MVP and first team all-county last year at linebacker.
Summer practices begin this Thursday, June 25, for the Panthers.
Under Maryland and Washington County Public Schools guidelines, summer practices are limited to 12 days of practice without pads and for weight training and conditioning.
The schedule for those practices are June 25, June 29, June 30, July 2, July 7, July 9, July 14, July 16, July 20, July 21, July 22, and July 23.
Practice for the season begins Wednesday, August 12, with practice from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the practice field.
Cartrette said the Panthers will scrimmage against Southern Garrett on Friday, August 28, at 7 p.m. and the first game of the 2026 season will be at home against the Berkeley Springs Indians on Friday, September 4, at 6 p.m.
Going into his second year as coach, Cartrette said “I am excited about all of our returning team and ones that did not play last year.”
With staff Cartrette and Athletic Director Jamie Lego have put together, he is expecting some success this year from the Panther team.
Cartrette said he hopes to see everyone at the
