Second-year coaches apply last year’s lessons in 2025
Adam Kozerski, Gary Pence and Curt Spencer have at least one thing in common.
The head football coaches at Bishop Brossart (Kozerski), Walton-Verona (Pence) and Holy Cross (Spencer) learned its a lot harder to be responsible for everything.
Brossart finished 9-3 with a Class A playoff win over Bellevue before falling to Newport Central Catholic.
Walton-Veronas 2024 season ended with a 56-7 loss at Breathitt County in the Class 2A first round, but the Bearcats 5-6 year ended well with a 4-1 finish.
Holy Cross struggled for much of the season the Indians finished at 3-8 and 1-5 over their last six games, including a loss at Newport in the first round of the Class A playoffs.
Incredibly blessed Kozerski has been around small-school football all his life hes the son of former Cincinnati Bengals lineman and Holy Cross coach Bruce Kozerski but there was still a significant transition because he had to call the offense.
So last year, I was incredibly blessed to have such a great group of kids, very disciplined, very athletic, very talented group of kids, Adam Kozerski said.
It was different than what I was used to, not because Holy Cross didnt have athletes, not because they didnt have discipline.
It was just a different community.
I was new to the community.
Two things Kozerski stresses are accountability and that nobodys perfect.
I am my own worst critic, he says.
I know that I cant be the most effective coach for these kids unless I look inward, and I tried to make it very obvious to the kids that Im looking for ways to improve.
The Mustangs have to replace a lot this year the top two quarterbacks and running backs graduated.
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Sign up Kozerski said juniors Tripp Wilson and Landon Spaulding are this seasons quarterback contenders.
Theyll throw to two of Northern Kentuckys best receivers senior Isaac Amin caught 21 passes for 485 yards and five touchdowns, and senior Nicholas Cozzi added 25 receptions for 428 yards and nine scores.
The defense will have a different look former Grayson County, Edmonson County, Greenwood and McLean County coach Ed Smart is the defensive coordinator.
Kozerski said winning the Class A, District 4 title and at least seven games are the goals each year.
We are (a) very, very talented group of kids, very good group of coaches, Kozerski said.
Every season, if we dont win seven ballgames, then I have not done my job as a coach to get these kids prepared.
Ive not done the best, you know, Ive not done my job for them.
A late start Pence and the Bearcats seek their first home win since 2023.
Photo provided | Walton-Verona High School Pence, who had been an assistant at Cooper for 10 years, wasnt hired until June of last year.
Another challenge was switching from a Wing-T offense to multiple formations.
So it was a learning process for our players last year, just kind of getting used to a whole new system, whole offense and defense, and having to learn very quick because I didnt get the job until June, Pence said.
I didnt even know the kids names while I was trying to teach the kids the new system.
Pence also said game speed was somewhat slower in Class 2A than in 5A Cooper.
I feel like you see a lot more kind of funky formation sometimes at this (2A) level than you do at the bigger-school levels, Pence said.
Big-school levels, you saw true spread offenses.
We saw trick plays and all kinds of stuff at the 2A level.
And yes, Walton-Verona unveiled some trickery in an otherwise nightmarish 64-13 loss to Kentucky Country Day on Sept.
13, 2024 a touchdown pass from Drew Lynn to Michael Oldfield.
Our first play of the game, we did a double-reverse pass for a touchdown, Pence said.
Walton-Verona returns eight offensive and six defensive starters, including senior quarterback Avery Howe, who missed six games last year.
Oldfield, who had 39 catches for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns, will miss much of the season.
Michael, unfortunately, during spring break, he was playing basketball and hurt his knee pretty bad, Pence said.
Hes recovering; theres a chance he might make it back in October.
Pence has two main goals: winning at home (the Bearcats were 0-5 and 5-1 on the road); and hosting a playoff game as a Class 2A, District 5 1- or 2-seed.
It wont be easy: theres a trip to Bracken County (9-3 last year) on Sept.
26 in Brooksville and hosting defending 2A champion Beechwood on Oct.
3.
This years been very nice, just to have a full offseason teaching them, Pence said.
His own worst critic Spencer and the Indians seek their first home win since 2023.
Photo courtesy of Holy Cross High School Spencer could relate to Walton-Veronas predicament the Indians were 0-4 at Thomas More University.
He also coached one of Northern Kentuckys youngest teams 19 of the 28 on the varsity roster were freshmen or sophomores.
All but two of them started at some point during the year, Spencer said.
I was probably my worst critic, and I kept explaining to the coaches that we had to remember that we were working with younger kids.
Youre basically throwing 14-year old kids out there against these 18-year old kids.
There were other adjustments: starting quarterback Brian Ferguson missed all but two games with an injury, and seven seniors graduated from 2023s team.
(Ferguson) was a true freshman, and we learned to adjust with the younger kids we had, Spencer said.
We had to have more patience because we did have to remember they were younger kids.
Junior tight end Max Hunt, who led Holy Cross with 216 receiving yards and two touchdowns, has received college offers from Kentucky and Miami (Ohio).
Senior Trevin Figgs (502 rushing yards, three touchdowns) also returns.
Holy Cross also has two of the areas largest offensive linemen senior Malcolm Perrin and junior Litello Johnson stand 6-foot-3 and around 350 pounds.
Johnson also led the team with 73 tackles..
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