Francis Howell football coach Bryan Koch considers winning and losing to be attitudes.
He'll never forget the moment the latter presented itself in 2008. The Vikings have done their share of winning since then, combining for an 18-5 overall record in two seasons, but things used to be different.
Howell had one of its worst seasons in at least 13 years in ‘07, Koch's first year on the job, by going 1-9. At 3-8 the following year, the ‘08 Vikings weren't much better, yet managed to slip into the Class 6 playoffs and were beaten in the sectional round by state power Jefferson City.
During preparations for that game, Koch was asked a question that will be forever etched in his memory.
"The kids at Francis Howell are so excited to play football now and that's awesome because four years ago it wasn't like that," Koch said. "Kids didn't want to be at practice or even show up for games. The day of the Jefferson City game a senior said to me, ‘So coach, are we turning in our equipment tonight or tomorrow?'
"I looked at him and walked away, sat there and was like, what in the world? How do we fix that mentality?"
Members of Howell's current senior class were freshmen that season but nonetheless picked up on some of the negativity.
"I remember when I was a freshman there were guys who really just went through the motions at practice," said senior receiver Corey King, one of the Howell offense's key returning components. "In the last couple years with coach Koch it's not good enough just going through the motions. If we do, we get punished.
"He doesn't accept being good. He wants to be excellent."
Koch managed to turn the losing culture on its ear in a hurry. The Vikings have won their last 13 games in Gateway Athletic Conference South play and are coming off a 10-2 campaign that ended with a loss to Fort Zumwalt West in the state quarterfinals.
Howell graduated a significant amount of talent. It lost its two leading tacklers, a standout quarterback, two elite linemen who are gearing up to play Division I college football and a productive wide receiver.
But King will play a big role in trying to keep the Vikings offense among the league's best. Last year they benefited from the high-caliber play of scrambling QB Brett Graves but now have Eric Siebenshuh, who's considered to be a more prototypical quarterback, at the helm.
"I'm excited to play the quarterback position," said Siebenshuh, whose most significant game action came during a sectional win last year over Jefferson City. "I expect us to throw a lot more this year. Last year we were more of a running team. This year we'll be a passing team that's also able to run the ball."
In addition to King, Alex Strong and John Haarmann return as starting receivers and will be key in assisting Siebenshuh adjust to his new starter's role.
Wes Skidmore is one of three returning starters on the offensive line.
Koch is less concerned with his offense than he is with his defense, which over the past two years has allowed just 18 points per game.
Josh Brown, whose 14 sacks and 21 tackles for loss led the team, returns to defensive end. Linebacker Tim Thomas returns after recording 60 tackles as a junior, and cornerback Jarett Strode is an experienced returner to the secondary.
"Everybody that starts for us this fall was a part of the run we made last year, and every one of them was there in Week 12 when we lost that final game," Koch said. "They know what it feels like to lose that big of a game and it's fueled their offseason. In my five years here this has been hands-down our most complete offseason from a team aspect. The kids are fired up and ready to put all the hard work they've been doing since January on the field."
