2023 Interview with Millersport Head Coach Jack Treinish

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

Jack Treinish
Millersport Lakers
Head Coach

Coaching History:
Millersport 1990-2006 Multiple spots, HC middle school to Defensive coordinator
Watkins Memorial 2007-2019 Multiple from HC middle school to high school asst
Fairfield Christian Academy 2020
Millersport 2021-Current Head Coach

The Lakers will be in their third season since returning to the football field. Tossing and wins and losses to the side, what have been the biggest surprises to you as far as the team goes?
The toughness and 'no-give up attitude'. After a surprising 3-5 season in year one, we lost 7 athletic seniors. Year two we were very very young, starting 7 freshmen, four of which started both ways in various games. They were knocked around time and time again. They jumped up and would go right back at it.

Playing as an independent has to have some advantages and disadvantages. Can you expand your thoughts on what some of both and how the team has been able to handle them?
We had a ton of frequent flyer miles in year one and two. Learning to travel and keep our minds on the job at hand was probably the worst of all of it. These young athletes really had no idea of what lay ahead of them after a long bus trip. We really concentrated on our mindset and attitude. The most favorable....really wasn't one but I would say that the players and staff did get to see all kinds of fields, teams, small towns, and football cultures.

What was the hardest part of the 2022 season?
That was very clear to us from mid-August. We had some upperclassmen that we thought might play. When they didn't we knew we had to stay upbeat and remind ourselves as a staff that we were starting mostly underclassmen that were 14 years old. In most schools, these young athletes wouldn't even see the field. The team lost one of its senior captains (QB, OLB, K) in week 3 as well. We had a total of 7 upperclassmen on the entire roster. Stay positive, coach from the mistakes, and pray hard we stay healthy.

What are you looking most forward to this season?
The maturation of the freshmen and sophomores from last year. We have 4 of the 11 freshmen and two of the sophomores that will not be able to play for various reasons but the core is still intact.

What will it take to get more students at Millersport to come out for football?
Just plain old hard work. We recruit the hallways, the staff goes to other school sports, we feed them, and do whatever it takes to show them we care. Get them to believe that even with grade bands in the 20s for boys, that we can in fact compete.

What is the best part of coaching high school football?
After three decades I still can't give a definite answer. There are so many reasons that make the sport what it is. I have started to coach kids from players I coached way back. That is extremely rewarding, Seeing young athletes finally learn how to compete and stand their ground and be rewarded with success. Building relationships that last forever.

What are your thoughts on multiple sports athletes?
I believe it is a must for small schools and has steadily become lost in the bigger school districts. I know that sports used to have a season and when it was done you just moved on to the next sport. However, one sport alone can go for 11 months with camps, off-season, and AAU teams, and specialized individualized training. The parental and student drive to be the best can take over the whole youth sports experience.

What are your feelings about 16 teams from each region making the playoffs?
It is mixed, to be honest. The experience is second to none but in the smaller divisions, it can be a daunting task to just compete with higher-seeded teams.

[VetteMan]

Talk about a Coach having to have a lot of patience, Coach Treinish most certainly fits that bill. Losing a total of 6 players from the past season that you were probably counting on being available for the upcoming season can not be an easy pill to swallow. Coach Treinish must really love to coach the game of football, as the numbers problem seems to be one of the main issues at Millersport as well as a lot of other small schools. Good interview.

[LICKING COUNTY FAN]

I agree losing that many players, at a small school is tragic. Coaches in my opinion can only do so much. I think players have to ride their friends to come out and be part of the team.