2023 Post-season interview with Bloom-Carroll Head Coach Jeremy McKinney

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2023 Post-season interview with Bloom-Carroll Head Coach Jeremy McKinney

Post by LICKING COUNTY FAN »

Name
Jeremy McKinney

School
Bloom-Carroll

Position
Head Coach

To kick this off, let the readers know the places you have coached and the positions you held at each location.

I’ve been an assistant coach at Fisher Catholic, Fairfield Union, Lancaster, and here at Bloom-Carroll. I’ve coached offensive line, defensive line, wide receivers, and linebackers, and I’ve been both an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator. Before this year, I was our Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers coach here at BC.

What were your main concerns entering the 2022 season?
As a first-time head coach, my main concern was making sure we established who we wanted to be as a program and as a team. Having coached for 7 successful head coaches at 4 different schools, I’ve learned a lot and knew who we wanted to be. My primary concern was making sure we embodied that vision as a program.

Which player or players stuck out the most after all two-a-days were completed?
(As an interesting side note, we don’t do two-a-days anymore. We haven’t done them since 2019, and I don’t see us ever going back!)

Three names that stand out as unknowns going into last season when thinking about it are Will Green, Zane Gogolin, and Ethan Thanthanavong. We graduated a tremendously successful senior class, and we had some questions about our offensive line and who would play quarterback. Two seniors, Will and Zane, stepped up more than we thought they could, and Ethan did a tremendous job leading our offense from the quarterback position as a sophomore.



The Bulldogs went 14-2 in 2022 (Great job) of the two losses which team was the hardest to prepare for? Explain.
The loss in the State Championship was the hardest to prepare for, but perhaps not for the reasons you’d think. We take pride in our consistency in our preparation, and we prepared for every game the same way. However, the amount of outside events, interviews, and time commitments that come from all over the place the week of the state championship made that week more difficult from a preparation standpoint.

Of the 14 wins is there one you will remember the most? Explain.
The win that stands out the most is the Regional Final versus Watterson. They took the lead with just under 6 minutes to go in the game. We had a misstep on the ensuing kickoff return, and we started our drive on our own 5-yard line. When I looked into the eyes of the players in the huddle before heading out to the field, I knew at that moment we were going to go score. This was the first time we had been behind since week 1, and there was a calm, collected, and determined look in all of their eyes. I knew at that moment what was about to happen. We proceeded to drive 95 yards for the go-ahead score and retook the lead for the final time with 1:14 to go. We then intercepted a pass on their next possession with 56 seconds remaining to seal the regional championship.

What will you remember the most from the class of 2023?
There is an enormous amount that I’ll remember about the class of 2023, but what will always be with me is their buy-in to me as their head coach and us as a team and a program. We graduated a heralded class the year before, and there was tremendous external pressure that our seniors felt to uphold the tradition of our program. Their dedication and commitment to each other and our program propelled us to where we finished with the most successful season in school history.

What was the most challenging part of the 2022 season?
The most challenging part of last season for me personally was talking to the team right after the loss in the State Championship. I know how hard they had worked to get to that point, and I wanted them to know how proud I was of them, how much I love them, and how thankful I was to be their coach.

What are your thoughts on 16 teams in each region making the state playoffs?
I think the most difficult part of 16 teams in the playoffs is that you have to play 16 straight football games. That is very difficult to do while still staying healthy. That is something that we consciously prepare for in everything we do from January on through the end of the year. We want to make sure that we are at our best into December.

Do online ticket sales hurt or helped game attendance? Explain.
I’m really not sure. We have great support from our community and they travel with us wherever we go. Our State Final was the most attended Final game since 2019 (if I remember correctly). We were told that we sold about 4,000 tickets to that game. We do all online ticketing at home, and it has not affected us at this point.

Can you tell us which seniors from last season will be moving on to play college ball and list the colleges too?
Andrew Marshall: LB Ohio University (D3 Defensive POY)
Zane Gogolin: OL/DL Otterbein University


VetteMan
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Re: 2023 Post-season interview with Bloom-Carroll Head Coach Jeremy McKinney

Post by VetteMan »

If this was Coach McKinney's first year as the Head Coach at Bloom-Carroll, I thought that he did an outstanding job. BC was one of the best overall Division-2 programs in the State. I'm also impressed with his well thought out answers to your questions. Good interview as usual.


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