The Detroit Lions have named Chad Hepner of Grosse Pointe South High School the 2026 Detroit Lions High School Football Coach of the Week for Week #9, presented by Carhartt. On October 23, the Blue Devils defeated crosstown rival Grosse Pointe North, 36-0; the 9th straight victory over the Norsemen, moving their record to 8-1. The Blue Devils host the 5-4 Dearborn Heights Crestwood Chargers on Friday, October 30 in the MHSAA Division 2 District Semifinals, the first match up ever between the two schools.
Hepner is in his 25th season coaching high school football, all at Grosse Pointe South. He served as a varsity assistant coach and head JV coach, before taking over the head coaching duties in 2022. He is currently in his 5th season as head coach, compiling a 42-10 (80.8%) record and leading the Blue Devils to the playoffs in all 5 seasons. Hepner followed in the footsteps of his father Russ Hepner, Grosse Pointe South’s head football coach from 1968-1986. In addition to head football coach, Hepner is a teacher at and 1993 alumnus of Grosse Pointe South.
Detroit Lions Football Education sat down with Hepner to discuss his decades as a student-athlete and coach at Grosse Pointe South, the rivalry between Grosse Pointe North, and the Blue Devils transition from the MAC-White Division to the MAC Red Division. Hepner was also notified of his Coach of the Week selection on Head Coach Hangout. See his reaction and the entire interview by visiting www.DetroitLions.com/
