High School Football Player of the Week: Jack Kosick motivated to get Edison back on track
The Edison High football program has a proud tradition of putting competitive teams on the field.
Although the Chargers made the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs as the third-place team out of the Sunset League last season, no one was jumping for joy when the season ended in the first round at San Juan Hills.
Edison wound up with an overall record of 5-6 for the 2018 season. Even for those who could not take the field in the playoff game, the quick exit did not sit well.
Jack Kosick had begun to carve out a starting role for himself when an ankle sprain brought an abrupt end to his sophomore season in the Chargers’ second league game against Huntington Beach.
When he thinks about where Edison should be, Kosick only has to remind himself of a piece of jewelry that his older brother, Griffin, possesses.
Edison defeated La Mirada 44-24 in the Division 3 championship game in 2016, and Griffin Kosick was a junior offensive lineman on that team.
Chargers capture CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship against La Mirada.
“[Griffin] has got the ring, and that’s what I’m chasing,” Kosick said. “He always rubs that in my face. He’s like, ‘Yeah, talk to me when you get a CIF ring,’ and I’m like, ‘All right.’
“I’m really chasing that. I still have two years left. Maybe this can be the year. Hopefully, this is the year. We just have to work.”
Although CIF has not placed entire leagues in the same playoff division since 2015, it still bothers some of the Chargers that Edison is the only member of the Sunset League not to appear in the initial rankings for the section.
In Division 3, Corona del Mar is ranked No. 2 and Los Alamitos enters the season at No. 6.
In Division 7, Huntington Beach is No. 6 and Fountain Valley is No. 7, and Newport Harbor comes into the season ranked No. 7 in Division 9.
Kosick said that the Chargers are underrated this year. He is motivated to play a full season and right the wrongs of what was a down year in terms of the wins and losses.
“We’re playing with more of a chip on our shoulder,” Kosick said. “That was the first time [since 2005] that Edison has had a losing record. We realize that Edison has a tradition of being a solid football team, and we got to live up to it.”
In his first chance to deliver on that promise, Kosick made plays in all three phases of the game in the Chargers’ 52-0 win against Wailuku (Hawaii) Baldwin at War Memorial Stadium in Hawaii on Aug. 16. He made three catches for 33 yards on offense and had an interception on defense.
Jack Kosick sparks the Chargers early, helping them kick off the season with a 52-0 rout at War Memorial Stadium on Friday in Wailuku, Hawaii.
His biggest contribution came on special teams, as he blocked a punt in the first quarter that led to Edison’s first scoring drive, which ended with a Mike Walters nine-yard rushing touchdown.
“We have to find a way to get him on the field because he is an impact guy on both sides of the ball,” Chargers coach Jeff Grady said of Kosick, who plays wide receiver and strong safety. “He does a lot of the things that are hard to teach, that you really can’t teach, like just being savvy, having a good feel for the game. He does all that really naturally, which makes our job as coaches a lot easier.”
On the whole, the Chargers secondary had a lot to be happy about, as Bradley Luna and Troy Fletcher also reeled in interceptions. Fletcher returned his for a 90-yard touchdown.
“I saw the ball thrown, and I just immediately thought, ‘That’s going to be my ball,’ ” Fletcher said. “I went up and got the ball, and I turned around and looked for a lane to run back and just returned the ball. I ran up a couple yards, followed my blocker. It was Gavin Chiavetta.
“I was following him, and then he made a good block, which helped me return it. After that, I just ran and didn’t really look back until I got to the end zone.”
Kosick said that the Chargers’ defensive backs have no hesitation as a unit in attempting to advance the ball following a turnover before the offense comes onto the field.
“We all have that mentality just to go,” Kosick said. “None of us are scared of contact. We all want to hit.”
A shutout victory is something special, but the team bonding experiences in Hawaii made the season-opening road trip truly one for the books.
Kosick got an opportunity to go surfing with junior receiver Ryan Rivituso. The team also enjoyed a luau together and much more.
“The whole trip was a blast, just being with the team,” Kosick said. “You would walk around because we were staying in these little cottages. We would just walk around from cottage to cottage, see everyone, say, ‘What’s up?’ [and] go do stuff, go snorkeling, go to the pool [or] get smoothies. It was just a great time.”
Jack Kosick
Born: Nov. 26, 2002
Hometown: Huntington Beach
Height: 6 feet 1
Weight: 185 pounds
Sport: Football
Year: Junior
Coach: Jeff Grady
Favorite food: Crab
Favorite movie: “Point Break”
Favorite athletic moment: Kosick played baseball growing up, and he said he hit a go-ahead grand slam in the last inning of a Little League game.
Week in review: Kosick blocked a punt and recorded an interception in the Chargers’ 52-0 season-opening victory against Wailuku Baldwin in Wailuku, Hawaii, on Aug. 16. He also had three catches for 33 yards.
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