Lakewood Ranch football players given more freedom in hopes it will mean more victories

After struggling through a 3-7 season last year, Lakewood Ranch head football coach Mic Koczersut has made intangible changes he hopes will bring tangible results.

It starts Friday when the Mustangs play host to Sarasota Riverview in a preseason game. The starters will play only the first half. The scoreboard will be reset to zero, and the backups and JV kids will play the second half.

Coach K (as he is called) believes it will improve his depth. It is one of many changes he has made to improve a team that did not have had the greatest chemistry last season.

He has given his players more say in practices and more say in how they conduct themselves and work to get ready for the season.

“My expectations haven’t changed. I have just given them more freedom to make decisions to handle themselves,” Coach K said. “My attitude is if your guys police yourself, I don’t have to be involved. But if I am, there are going to be consequences. We are just changing how we are phrasing stuff and given them more of a say.”

Coach K is doing more team building stuff than in the past. He even gives the kids more control of the workout sessions though he doesn’t allow them to dictate what happens.

Instead of running gassers after each practice, he breaks the team down into position groups for their final workouts.

“My coaches shouldn’t have to coach their motivation. If a kid can’t be motivated, then he is sent to me, and I deal with that end of it,” Koczersut said. “I tell the kids we don’t want to be coaching you on how to work harder. We want to be coaching you on football. It’s your job to bring the motivation.”

Lakewood Ranch’s struggles last year was on defense. The Mustangs allowed nearly 30 points per game. Koczersut has simplified things so his kids play faster and with a better attitude.

“We are pushing each other and try to get it to a point where the coaches don’t have to yell at us about hard work and trying to make sure our hard work ethic is always there,” linebacker Dylan Thompson said. “Last year it wasn’t terrible, but we definitely have a lot to work on. We have a lot better chemistry (than last year). We connect better as a team and we are more forgiving on the younger guys. We are just more of a family.”

Coach K is happy the way his players have responded, which he emphasizes is not easy because this is a generation that has grown up with all kinds of technology and look at the world differently than the adults in their life.

“The kids have done a good job of wanting to be around each other, which is important because it’s a long season,” Koczersut said. “I explained to the kids we’ve been working for almost 300 days to get ready for 60 days of football. When you are together that much you’ve got to get along.”

He has settled on his offensive line, which is not as big as in previous years, but is led by tackles Sam Jackson (6-foot-6, 330 pounds), who has verbally committed to UCF and Alex Williams (6-4, 235).

Jay Turner, a 5-8, 175-pound junior and converted defensive back, has been named the starting running back for an offense that likes to move the ball on the ground.

“I am comfortable with making the switch because I have been playing running back my whole life. It’s nothing new to me,” Turner said. “I think (the practices) have been better than previous years. We are actually listening and working together as a team instead of being an oddball with everything and disagreeing. We are working together and policing ourselves. Coach wants us to handle things on our own and that has helped.”

Coach K says his team isn’t getting a lot of optimistic talk from those outside the program, but feels the new approach and attitude of his players is reason to feel optimistic.

“I think we are going to be a lot better than most people think,” Koczersut said. “People’s opinions of us isn’t very high nor should they be coming of a 3-7 season, but I think we are going to be able to surprise some people.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2016 at 11:50 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch football players given more freedom in hopes it will mean more victories."