Crestwood’s Micky Cook can play — and at many spots

Posted by Patrick Hyland on Sunday, July 24, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

MANTUA, Ohio – Micky Cook doesn’t play every position on the football field – and play them very well, we might add.

It just seems that way.

According to second-year Red Devils coach Chris Kosiorek, maybe the only position area where Cook doesn’t fit in is at defensive line. Other than that, it’s game on.

“He’s very versatile, multi-talented. He could play just about any position that you put him at,” the coach said.

That’s pretty impressive considering Cook will be just a junior this season. Thus, he has quickly learned the high school game and made himself valuable and productive in a variety of ways for a program that needs players like that as it tries to continue to make strides.

It starts where it starts with every team, at quarterback, the most important position in team sports.

“We have three players vying to be the starter there, and Micky is one of them,” Kosiorek said.

Quarterback appears to be wide open since last year’s starter, Tyler Harris, one of the school’s three second-team All-Portage Trail Conference Metro Division selections, has graduated. Cook was his backup.

But if the 6-foot, 180-pound Cook doesn’t end up starting under center, then it’s likely, Kosiorek said, that he will go back to wide receiver, where he spent much of last year.

He also can – and probably will – be used from time to time at running back.

“Micky can carry the ball, or he can be the lead blocker, going in there and leveling the linebacker, for the guy who is carrying it,” Kosiorek said. “He has a great smile, but I can tell you that when he gets on the field, that goes away because he loves contact. He loves to hit. And he loves to block.

“The kid’s in shape. He can handle the punishment.”

Dishing it out, and taking it.

Cook likely won’t play the offensive line, but he could.

“If I needed him there, I would have no problem using him. I know he’d do a good job,” Kosiorek said.

The coach added, “He’s a very talented young man, but he’s not our whole offense.”

Again, it just seems that way.

Then there’s defense, which, when it’s all said and done, may end up being the side of the ball where Cook has the most long-term potential.

Last season, he played mainly strong safety, but was used at inside linebacker for two games “and did a nice job,” according to Kosoriek.

That skill set is why the Red Devils will use him at both spots again this year – but in a different way.

“We plan to play him as a hybrid safety who can move down into the box to linebacker when he need him to,” the coach said.

But wait, there’s more.

Cook is a special kid, so it only makes sense that he would play special teams as well.

It was actually at punter where he earned second-team All-Metro honors last year as just a sophomore. He’s the only returning player among the seven Red Devils who received some type of all-division mention.

“He’s got a strong leg,” Kosiorek said. “He has natural talent as a punter.”

But the coach added that although Cook could do it, he won’t be asked to kick off as well.

“There will be some plays, too, on offense and defense when we’ll have him out of the game, but I know he won’t like to come off the field,” Kosiorek said. “He’d much rather be out there.”

That makes sense for a busy guy who is also a pitcher for the Crestwood baseball team, and played basketball as a freshman before sitting out last season.

Kosiorek believes that if Cook gets some looks from colleges, it will be on defense, probably as a safety, where, according to the coach, “He has great range.”

The next level is a long way off, though. Cook still has two more seasons left in high school, and Kosiorek has high hopes for what the junior and the team as a whole can accomplish during that time.

In his first year as coach in 2010, the Red Devils improved three wins, from 2-8 to 5-5. It ended a streak of three consecutive losing seasons since they were 6-4 in 2006.

“Last season brought some energy and excitement back to the program,” Kosiorek said. “To get back to .500 was good.

“But 5-5 won’t be acceptable anymore. We’ve reached that already, so we want to do better.”

It won’t be easy, though.

“Our league is good, and very competitive,” Kosiorek said.

And in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s offseason reshuffling of teams all over the state, there’s been an influx of successful programs into Division III, Region 9, where Crestwood resides.

“We understand that the region will be much, much better this year,” said Kosiorek, whose team last season barely missed earning the school’s first playoff berth since 1999, finishing ninth.

“But that’s OK. There’s no reason we can’t be one of those top eight teams and make it. Our hope is to get into the playoffs this year.”

As long as Micky Cook is around – here, there and everywhere – the Red Devils will always have a shot.

Four more who stand out:

*Mark Zimmerman, Green, quarterback/kicker, 5-10, 185, senior – His arm is worth a lot to the Bulldogs, as he was an honorable mention Division I All-Ohio pitcher this spring for a baseball team that came within a whisker of making it to the state tournament, and was also an honorable mention All-Suburban League choice in football last year and will be a key player this season as new coach Ed Cybak tries to guide that program to a winning season.

Zimmerman completed 106 of 177 passes last season for 1,446 yards and nine touchdowns. He also booted one field goal and nine extra points.

*Noah Kainrad, Southeast, quarterback/defensive back, 6-2, 185, senior – An honorable mention All-Inland District basketball player last season, he was also a  second-team All-Portage Trail Conference Metro Division football pick on defense last fall as the Pirates improved by four wins – from 1-9 to 5-5 – in coach Steve Sigworth’s first campaign.

*Nick Mutaali, Stow-Munroe Falls, fullback/linebacker, 5-9, 204, senior – He’s a sturdy anchor in the middle of the field on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs. Mutaali had 5.5 tackles for loss, two pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries in 2010, as well as 119 yards of rushing and receiving.

*Kevin Besser, St. Vincent-St. Mary, quarterback/defensive back, 6-3, 190, senior – He’s a real up-and-comer who appears to have all the physical tools to play at the next level, which is why he’s getting attention from the Mid-American Conference and some other schools. Besser took over as the starting quarterback midway through last season and directed the Irish to a playoff victory.

 

 

 

 

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