Jaron Cohen
School: Liberty Lancers, Class 4A Foothills League
Record: 2-1 overall, 1-0 league; 18-28 career
Coaching resume: Assistant at Speckenkill High School, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 2000, and Windsor (Conn.) High School, 2002-04; head coach at Rockville (Conn.) High, 2005-07; in second year heading the Lancers.
Lifelines: Age 30, native of Newington, Conn. Graduated from Newington High School (1996) and Marist College (2000); earned degree in history; earned master’s in educational studies from Springfield (Mass.) (2002); teaches history and advises the mentor program at Liberty.
Back in his day: Running back-linebacker at Newington, 1993-95, all-Central Connecticut Conference as a senior; linebacker at Marist before suffering career-ending neck injury, 1998.
Last week: There was more than one doubter who questioned initial reports this past Thursday concerning Liberty’s 31-28 overtime victory over Pueblo South.
“Most people couldn’t believe we beat them,” Cohen said, adding that the Colorado Springs Gazette also called to double-check.
The coach understood — the Lancers were 0-8 against the Colts, who entered 2009 with a 40-game regular-season winning streak and hadn’t lost a Foothills game since Week 10 of the 2004 season, a span of 32 games.
A bunch of Lancers seniors, part of an 0-10 team two seasons ago, cried amid an emotional celebration, so Cohen was open-minded about his usual 24-hour postgame rule of moving on from the most recent effort.
The Lancers weathered a late move by the Colts in regulation, stopped them at the 1-yard line on their overtime possession, then partied after first-year and sophomore kicker Matt Olson converted a 22-yard field goal.
Liberty’s Ryan Gray was 6-of-10 passing for 178 yards and four touchdowns, three to Wes McKenzie. Nick Bunney added 105 yards rushing, and every Lancer who suited for the game was part of the school’s highest football satisfaction in years.
“We hope this proves we can compete at a high level in the (league),” Cohen said. “But we don’t want to take too much from it.”
Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post
The Denver Broncos high school coach of the week award, in its 14th year, will have 10 honorees during the regular season. NFL Charities will present $1,000 to the school’s program. Cohen joins Manzanola’s James Lopez and Eaglecrest’s Tom Doherty as winners in 2009. A coach of the year will be announced at the Broncos’ final home game, against the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 3 at Invesco Field at Mile High, and receive $2,000. Coaches are selected from a panel consisting of Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post; Billy Thompson, the Broncos; and Andy Lindahl, KOA 850 AM.
