Lakewood Ranch football coach sees a turnaround on the horizon

Mick Koczersut's sermon is being subjected to the supreme challenge.

Koczersut, the head football coach at Lakewood Ranch High School, preaches positivity, all the time.

He leads a program where no heads hang low because football is a metaphor for life. Koczersut says you have to learn to adjust to things not going your way. He emphasizes his players form a close-knit unit and they hang out away from practice on the weekends. They laugh. They have fun.

No matter what.

The "what" in the 2016 season is an 0-6 record.

The latest blow was a tantalizingly close 7-2 loss against Sarasota on Oct. 14. It followed a common theme for the season.

The Mustangs defense has been more competent than you would expect from an 0-6 high school team. Over the last three games, they’ve given up just over 13 points per game.  Unfortunately, over the same span, they are scoring just under three points per game offensively.

It is a situation that can create animosity.

Koczersut, meanwhile, doesn’t seem too worried. He’s a believer in himself, in his practices, in his playbook, in his players.

Besides, the sermon seems to be working. Koczersut hasn’t heard anyone on the defense criticize an offensive player. Instead, there’s an environment of support. They are still pulling together. The players have bought into what Koczersut is selling, and that's a good sign for the future of the program.

It allows the head coach to be patient.

“The things we’re doing at practice are the right things,” Koczersut said. “We just have to do them better.”

Koczersut might implement a few new wrinkles into the offense over the next few weeks, but he said he would be doing that whether the team was winless or not.

He said the offense’s struggles can be pinpointed to mental mistakes. When a player lines up incorrectly, or gets called for a false start, it impacts the entire team.

“There’s 11 kids on offense,” Koczersut said. “They all have to do things right. They need to take what they’re coached during the week and do it on Friday.”

Although the players have struggled taking concepts to game day, Koczersut is confident his players are close to turning it around. 

Besides, he knows his defense will keep the Mustangs in games. He talked about junior middle linebacker Chase Sharp and senior defensive end Christian Cahueque as two players who continue to lead by example despite the Mustangs’ record.

Sharp and Cahueque are similar in temperament, reserved off the field, fiery warriors on it. They both will do whatever it takes to help the team find success and their perseverance this season has been impressive. Sharp even took some snaps at fullback when it was needed. Anything to help.

Is it a recipe for future success?

I can only think back to my own youth football days with the Olney Bears. We were coached by Kenny Roy, a former All-ACC defensive back at Maryland. Roy was the nicest guy, and he genuinely cared about his players learning the game of football and having a good time. It didn't, however, appear to be the recipe for success.

The Bears didn't win many games his first year, and in fact, we were terrible. Like Koczersut has been this season, Roy spoke to the Bears in a similar fashion, upbeat and energetic. The next season, the Bears went undefeated.

We can't be sure of the Mustangs' future, but I learned the lesson long ago. Sometimes, all it takes is a little patience.