A New Coach, Era for Belmont Football

It’s a new era for Belmont Football under Francois Joseph, built off blood, sweat, and Buffalo wings.

For most high school football coaches, team-building starts on the practice field during the dog days of summer. It starts in the weight room. It starts with evaluating film as a group. For Francois Joseph, beginning his first season as the head coach of Belmont High School, it started at Jake n JOES Sports Grille in Waltham.

That’s not to say the other aspects aren’t part of the equation, but ever since Joseph joined the Belmont Football staff as an assistant in 2021 – following more than a decade coaching football and track at Waltham High School – he emphasized connecting with his players off the field to improve results on it.

During that first season at Belmont, Joseph worked with the wide receivers, so he took it upon himself to organize a “receiver dinner” at City Streets Restaurant, where he encouraged the boys to talk about “anything other than football.”

“We got to laugh and joke, and kids being kids making fun of each other,” Joseph recalled.

It’s a tradition he continued — first at City Streets, then Jake n JOES — uniting not just the receivers, but also the senior classes and other position groups. At first, it was to get to know the players since he was new to the program, but now it’s built into the fabric of the team culture.

After leading Belmont to its first Middlesex League title in 59 years, then-coach Brian McCray stepped down this offseason after three years at the helm. Joseph was the first person on his staff he reached out to about the news, and Joseph threw his hat into the ring to take over the head job.

Among several candidates, Joseph was selected to lead the team in its quest to repeat as league champions. It’s a tall task to take over a program fresh off its first title in decades, especially after bringing in new coordinators, but Joseph is looking to carry over some of McCray’s philosophies while incorporating some of his own.

“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, just kind of maybe spice it up a little bit, and let the kids have a little bit more fun,” Joseph said.

Regular season has yet to kick off, but Joseph’s balance of hard work and fun seems to have already resonated with the players.

“He’s a good coach. I like practices because he’ll let you know what you’re doing wrong, what you’re doing right,” senior wide receiver/cornerback Moses Lubega said. “And the stuff you’re doing right, he wants you to execute on those perfectly and know what to do.”

Joseph is taking on a Belmont football team that’s growing. Only 38 players were on the roster in 2021. Entering this season, it’s more than 60. The increase is significant enough that the team is nearly running out of equipment, according to Joseph.

No doubt last year’s success is a contributor, but the overall culture has become a major selling point for players as well, highlighted by the group dinners.

“It builds us stronger on the field,” junior wide receiver/cornerback Andre Chavusian said. “We get each other’s back more, and it helps with chemistry overall because we can have fun on and off the field. It’s more like a brotherhood now.”