Knee replacement can't keep Lakewood Ranch High coach from his job

Athletes are lauded for impressive performances amid injuries. Fueled by sheer determination, they fight against their bodies in the name of winning.

Vito Bavaro’s days of competing are comfortably behind him. He’s no athlete anymore.

The Lakewood Ranch High boys soccer team, though, has given the 57-year-old coach every reason to push through his own pain. It’s perseverance worth applauding.

“Every single practice, every single game, he’s just shown out,” said senior midfielder/forward Ryan Johnson. “He's given us respect and the energy we need to come through.”

The Mustangs are 18-0-2, as of Feb. 11 and the No. 1 seed in Region 3 of the FHSAA Class 6A tournament. They’ve already earned the first undefeated regular season in program history as well as the 6A-11 District championship, and are now in pursuit of their first state title.

Lakewood Ranch opened regional play Feb. 6, beating Charlotte 3-0. The Mustangs host Sickles 7 p.m. Feb. 12 in the regional semifinals. 

Bavaro — in his 19th season — underwent surgery Dec. 15 for a total left knee replacement. Throughout the months before and after, he hasn’t been able to be as hands-on with instruction as he has been in previous seasons. 

Photo by Jack Nelson

He runs the show from either his seat on the bench or the seat of his scooter. But no matter how limited his physical involvement, his fingerprints are all over this team.

Seasons like this don’t happen without the right guy in charge.

“You can tell when he talks to us that he cares about the game,” said senior goalkeeper Gavin Moore. “He cares about us succeeding. Everything that he does, from games to practices to off the field, shows how much he cares about our success.”

This hasn’t been his first bout with bad health. Bavaro has also undergone four hip surgeries and an ankle surgery, and during his childhood, was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis — then known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

JIA forced his transition from playing into coaching. Two weeks into his freshman year at Seton Hall University, he experienced a flareup, and was stuck in the hospital for a month.

The Cliffside Park, New Jersey, native had to give up his cleats at 18 years old and forfeit his chance to play soccer at the NCAA Division I level.

“I couldn’t play anymore when I came out of the hospital,” Bavaro said. “My hips were all messed up. My bones were frozen. Everything was really bad, and I had a tough time walking.”

He proceeded through his life with a cautious approach to that chronic autoimmune disease. Over these last few years, though, he’s fought an ongoing battle with his left knee.

Short-term solutions were enough — for a while. Bavaro would get his knee drained or take cortisone shots to reduce the pain and aid mobility.

Everything was OK until after a trip to Italy this past summer.

“I don’t know if it was the walking, the balancing, the cobblestones… whatever it was, Italy absolutely killed my knee,” Bavaro said. “I couldn’t function.”

His surgery was initially scheduled for March, but in the early months of the current season, trying to go about his day-to-day life became an unbearable struggle. 

So he bit the bullet and had the surgery just before a break in the Mustangs’ schedule from Dec. 20 through Jan. 5.

“My swelling went down right away. I have almost full range (of motion) on both sides right now,” Bavaro said. “Now it’s just about building strength and getting back to where I was. It’s still hard to get around, but I’m glad I did it — I really am.”

Photo by Jack Nelson

Even while recovering in bed, Bavaro still impacted games. He watched his players live on Hudl and communicated with his coaching staff over the phone.

He said his staff has been a godsend. Leading up to the season, he assembled a larger staff than usual, understanding his limited capabilities. He’s leaned on his assistant coaches more than ever.

Daniel Cadavid, Robert Lloyd-Jones and Andrew Clark are his assistants. There’s also team managers Max Granville and Sean Smith, the latter of whom is in charge of film.

“If anybody tells you (that) you can do this by yourself, they’re lying to you,” Bavaro said. “You can be the greatest coach in the world, but if you don’t have good people around you, it doesn’t matter.”

He gives plenty of credit to them for this season’s overwhelming success. And he’s quick to credit his players, who execute on the field and ultimately make winning possible.

It’s time Bavaro got his due as well.

This is, after all, the same coach who guided Lakewood Ranch to a 5A state runner-up finish in 2017 — the farthest the program has gone in the postseason. He also oversaw state semifinalist finishes in 2020, 2019 and 2014.

He has accomplished plenty, and couldn't have been faulted for walking away this season. He could have let the pain get him.

But he didn't.

And for that, the players are grateful. Had he stepped away for good, the Mustangs wouldn't be here, challenging for a state title.