A Voice calls out from the hallway at Chester High School, "Coach, do you have a second?" Then, amid the din of squeaking sneakers and slamming lockers, The Voice fires back from his corner office, "Get in here and bring your backpack!"

Then, the bell rings as chattering students shuffle off to class as Dennis Shaw starts explaining his coaching philosophy, specifically why his players have dubbed him The Voice.

"I'm always advocating for my kids, definitely a players' coach," said Shaw, now in his fourth year as head football coach at Chester. "Dealing with inner-city kids, you have to understand that a lot of them have hardships that extend beyond playing football. I always say, 'Football is not life, it's an outlet.' There are situations where kids need clothes on their back and meals in their belly, and I'm here to help."

Success off the field is paramount, but it's also nice to stack up wins. Shaw, who started as an assistant coach at Chester in 2015, holds a 45-5 career record while leading the Clippers to four straight Delaware Valley League titles, plus back-to-back appearances in the district championship game.

"We have a saying here, High Expectations," said Shaw, the Eagles Tackle Football Coach of the Week, presented by Visa. "The standard is very high and this is what is expected in our program. We graduated a lot of talent last year, with guys going to Temple, Syracuse, Old Dominion, and Kutztown, so it was supposed to be a down year, yet here we are. These guys are tough. They answer the bell every week."

This year, the No. 1-seeded Clippers hold a perfect 10-0 record. They have won five games by 21 points or more. They haven't lost a home game in three years. All these things ... dynasty, culture, expectations ... percolate in the background, as Shaw preps his team to host Marple Newtown in the first round of the PIAA District 1 Class 5A playoffs on Saturday afternoon.

"I don't want to call it a revenge tour — it's not that," Shaw said. "But we left meat on the bone last year so, game by game, we understand what drives us and it has given us a sense of urgency. We know where we're trying to get back to and it fuels us."

One step closer to winning that elusive state championship.

One more thing: A victory on Saturday would make Shaw the winningest coach in school history. "I don't want to make it a me thing," Shaw said.

High Expectations Meet Exit 6

Exit 6 is a motto you see everywhere on campus. It's a literal reference to Chester's exit off the Blue Route, but Shaw branded it as a point of pride, a way to flaunt the city's swagger.

Remember, Chester High School has long been a basketball factory. Now, under Shaw's watch, the football team is drawing equal billing, with overflow crowds at games and high-energy pep rallies that would make legendary hoops coach Fred Pickett proud.

"We're a confident bunch," Shaw said. "We don't take nothing for granted and don't underestimate anyone."

One player, Sa'Mhad "Showtime" Williams, is leading the way. The freshman running back has already surpassed 1,000 yards this season, ripping off 187 yards and three touchdowns in his very first start — a 22-10 win over Strath Haven in Week 1.

"He's been racking up the press clippings," Shaw said. "He's our running back, punter, kicker for kickoffs, linebacker ... this kid starts everywhere, and he's willing to do anything for the team."

You see, Williams has been anointed the next big thing at age 14. He's already received Division I offers from Syracuse and Rutgers, with more surely to come. Shaw knows the drill, having been an elite high school player himself, running for more than 4,000 yards at West Catholic High and delivering that school its first Catholic League title in 49 years.

"I grew up all around football, but I never thought I'd be coaching it," Shaw said, crediting his mentor Albie Crosby, a Philly football lifer who coached him at West Catholic. "Albie paved the way for guys like me. He prepared me for everything."

Now, he's trying to rub it off on Williams. As a freshman, he's required to fill up the water coolers before practice and carry them onto the field. His attitude? Humble. Unchanged.

"He's the first one on the field, carrying those water coolers with a sense of urgency and a sense of pride," Shaw said. "Even as his press clippings piled up, he stayed humble and level-headed. That was the coolest thing for me to see."

Surviving Hardships, Keeping Everything in Focus

Shaw has a few different mottos he likes to throw out in interviews, like control the controllables, high expectations, no moral victories, to name a few. It's not lip service.

"I have the chance to change some of these kids' lives, and that's number one for me," Shaw said. "Yes, we want to win football games and championships, but that doesn't supersede academics — you walk across that stage and go to commitment day, two to three months down the road, that's the real win. Those are the wins that matter. When we change lives and change their families' lives, I'll hang my hat on that."

It's been a trying year, too. Shaw's nephew Khalief Webster fell victim to gun violence in May 2025, one year after navigating the tragic shooting death of Chester High standout Zaheem Sabree.

"Coach Shaw has navigated tough environments where student-athletes have been exposed to intense opposition," said Chester High School Athletic Director and former Head Coach LaDontay Bell, the Eagles Coach of the Year in 2021. "Yet his leadership has proven that the locker room is not only prepared to exemplify sportsmanship but to actually live it. He mentors his players and informs them of the reality and consequences of their choices."

Shaw has sent numerous players to Division I schools — all 16 players from last year's district championship runner-up squad went on to college programs — including the larger-than-life Shemaj Henry, a freshman offensive tackle currently at Syracuse.

Then there's Dominic Toy, a tight end at Colorado State. Shaw knew Toy had Division I talent the minute he saw him, but his grades were slipping. So, the coach got him a tutor and made him put in extra classroom hours, even if it meant showing up for practice an hour late. Today, Toy is on the dean's list.

"That's the type of stuff that keeps me going," Shaw said, adding that Toy was the first Division I recruit that Chester had in 15 years. "We don't always have the easiest path to resources, being an inner-city school, but we make it work. So, when I see him doing those things and when he sends me a note saying, 'Coach, I'm thankful for you. You helped me get to this point.' I'm elated by that."