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Hard Work Pays Off for Central Missouri's Cosby
By David Boyce
The football fields in the Interscholastic League are sometimes lumpy and uneven compared to other school districts in the Kansas City areas. And the rosters don't have nearly as many players.
Central Missouri coach Willie Fritz recalls one time when he was watching DeMarco Cosby play at Lincoln Prep, he was amazed by Cosby's versatility on a defense.
"One play he was playing free safety and few plays later he was playing nose guard," Fritz said.
Cosby, now a junior tight end at Central Missouri, said his head coach was exaggerating a bit. He played linebacker and defensive end at Lincoln.
At any rate, Cosby never used what the IL didn't have as a deterrent from keeping him from playing college football.
On the contrary, he said he learned plenty from his high school coach and that has served him well now as he ranks as one of the top tight ends in the MIAA. In six games, he has caught 24 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
"I think playing under Roger Franks really helped me," Cosby said. "He was kind of a tough guy. He was always on my case, trying to get me better. He was a real big influence on me going to college and playing football."
Fritz viewed Cosby as a diamond in the rough. He's found other players from the inner city league in Kansas City.
"There are players there," Fritz said. "In my first year we got Kevin Nickerson out of Central High School. We've had quite a few good players from that league.
"That's really a hidden gem I think. If those kids had half the resources some of the other school districts got there is no telling how successful they could be."
Nickerson was one of the most dynamic returners and receivers during the Fritz era at Central Missouri. He ranks second in school history in career all-purpose yards with 4,892 yards.
Because of the nature of his position, Cosby will never accumulate those kinds of numbers, but his impact might be just as big.
He came to the Mules as a wide receiver. The coaching staff figured if Cosby could add some weight to his 6-foot-3 frame they had the makings of a solid tight end.
"He did it," Fritz said. "Now he's about 245 and carries it pretty well.
"We redshirted him his first year. He played some for us as a redshirt freshman. He started for us last year and played really well, particularly the receiving aspect of it. This year, obviously he is a really good receiver, but he's really improved his blocking becoming more of a complete tight end."
Cosby has simply taken the lessons he learned in high school and continued to listen and learn from his coaches in college.
He values hard work. It's noticeable. Fritz said Cosby works out in Warrensburg during the summer and also holds a job.
"You have to come out and work hard in practice on a daily basis and not just be lackadaisical on some days," Cosby said. "One of the biggest things I've picked up in college is being multidimensional and not just focusing on my receiving skills, but work on my blocking and pass protection and stuff like that."
Cosby, a computer science major, is proof of what happens when you have a strong support system.
It starts with his family, who attends all his games.
"It is great," Cosby said. "I have one of the best support systems I know. My dad, my mom, my grandparents and uncles come to every game. My dad even made it to the Minnesota game my first year. He hasn't missed one game since I've been in college. I'm blessed to have that because everybody doesn't have that kind of support."
Cosby is just as complimentary on his teammates. When he arrived at Central Missouri he was pretty much alone. Making new friends has been one of the best parts about playing football for the Mules.
"Some of the guys took me in and they have become some of my best friends," Cosby said. "These are friendships that will last a lifetime."
From all indications, the 2009 Mules have a close-knit atmosphere. It's one of the reasons they are 5-1 overall and 3-1 and in a four-way tie for second in the MIAA.
The team unity is also one of the reasons Central Missouri was able to bounce back from its first loss and win easily against Truman last week.
"We pulled together and cleaned up things we did poorly against Washburn," Cosby said. "We feel we are going to have a way better second half of the season than we had in the first half."
The Mules will face a tougher test Saturday in their homecoming game against Fort Hays State. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. at Walton Stadium.
Fort Hays State is 4-2 and 2-2 in the MIAA. The Tigers, the most improved team in conference, are coming off a loss at Washburn.
"They have a tough defensive line," Cosby said. "We are not going to underestimate them at all. We are coming in ready to play."
Cosby has a pretty good understanding of being underestimated. He came out of a high school in which players are regularly overlooked.
"I feel like when I played in the IL I could have played in some of the all-star games," Cosby said. "It made me strive to be even better in college because I feel like I was underestimated and I didn't get the looks I deserved. I feel like the league gets overlooked some."
That's no longer the case for Cosby. As a sophomore he was first-team All-MIAA. He was also an honorable mention All-America selection.
Fun facts: Central Missouri coach Willie Fritz is 3-0 against Fort Hays State...Fritz is in his 13th season at Central Missouri and is 94-45...Fort Hays is averaging 33.7 points...This is an important game for region rankings. Fort Hays is ranked eighth in Super Region 4 and Central Missouri is 10th. The top six teams in region advance to the Division II playoffs.
Offensive player to watch: Fort Hays State quarterback Mike Garrison, a graduate of Shawnee Mission Northwest, completed 24-of-39 passes for 221 yards last week against Washburn. If Garrison plays well, the Tigers have a chance to pull off a road victory. This season he has thrown nine touchdowns and only two interceptions.
Defensive player to watch: Central Missouri senior free safety Randy Shepherd will need to have a good game, keeping Fort Hays' wide receivers in check. If Shepherd can intercept a pass it could really swing the momentum in the Mules' favor.
Key to the game: Central Missouri will need to be 100 percent focused and limit mistakes because Fort Hays is good enough to win road games in the MIAA. The Tigers gave a scare to Washburn before losing, but played the Ichabods better in Topeka than Central Missouri did two weeks ago.
Last meeting: Central Missouri won 24-21 at Fort Hays State on Nov. 8, 2008.
To reach David Boyce, contributing writer for the MIAA, e-mail dboyce@themiaa.com.
