Overholt tabbed as Delta coach

MUNCIE — A former Jay County High School assistant is the new head man for the Patriots’ rival.
Chris Overholt, who spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Jay County, was named the new Delta Eagles football coach Tuesday.
“Beyond excited,” said Overholt, a 2001 Delta graduate who was at JCHS from 2008 to 2014.
While at Jay County, the 32-year-old was a lineman coach and offensive coordinator, overseeing back-to-back years during which J.D. Mangas rushed for more than 1,200 yards. Mangas, a 2014 graduate, racked up 3,066 yards, and was 145 yards shy of eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark in 2013.
Overholt said his stint with the Patriots helped prepare him to become Delta’s coach.
“My time at Jay County shaped a lot of my philosophies,” said Overholt, who left the Patriot staff prior to the 2015 season to be a lineman coach at Delta. Running back Zach Mills led the state in rushing that year.
Overholt served on the staff of three Jay County coaches — Shane Hill, Steve Boozier and current coach Tim Millspaugh — and said he will take pieces each of them taught him into his current role.
“Steve Boozier acted as a mentor and taught me how to be professional,” he said. “Steve and Shane gave me a lot of autonomy and I’ve always appreciated that. Millspaugh gave me an opportunity to be a coordinator.
“I learned so much about program building from those experiences.”
The bar is set high for Overholt, who takes over an Eagle program that hasn’t had a losing season since 1995. He will be replacing Grant Zgunda, who stepped down after going 167-49 in 18 seasons.
His first test as a coach will be against his former team.
On Aug. 19, the Eagles make the trip northeast on Indiana 67 to meet the Patriots.
It will be the first time Overholt prepares for the game in the visiting locker room and stands on the visiting sideline as a coach.
“I look forward to not having the sun in my face at the stadium,” he joked.
In all seriousness, though, he’s looking forward to the opportunity.
“It will be a great experience and thanking so many people that helped me along the way,” he said. “They will be well prepared and I’m sure very fired up.”