Ryan Lozier named head football coach at Lakota

Ryan Lozier was posed a hypothetical Monday night. Less than five years ago, standing in Canton as a state football champion quarterback for Clyde, could he have pictured being a head coach by the time he was 22? "I probably would've told you I would try," Lozier said. "I've always known this is what I want to do. This is my passion. I believe you're put on this earth for a reason and purpose. And coaching is my purpose." He'll get the opportunity. Lozier was named Lakota's new head football coach Monday, taking over for the departed Mike Lento (Calvert). After three years as an assistant, the state champ is now in charge. "Anybody who looks at it is gonna say 'Wow, he's young,'" Lozier said. "I told them, 'You're right, I am. But just because you're young doesn't mean you can't get the job done.'" Lozier's path to the Lakota job began in high school. Lento was Lozier's personal trainer back then. When Lozier decided his athletic playing days were over, he linked up with Lento to kick off his coaching career. Lozier began as both a football and girls basketball assistant for the Raiders in 2021. Lozier completed his health and physical education degree from the University of Findlay in December. When Lento told Lozier he was leaving, Lozier felt he had to give it a try. "I knew right away I wanted to apply," Lozier said. "I enjoy Lakota and the kids we have." Young coaches have been a bit of a trend in the area. Jalen Santoro started it at Perkins, and Lucas Poggiali followed suit at Sandusky. They served as support for Lozier during this process. "I talked to Lucas a lot and Jalen through this whole process," Lozier said. "I went to Jalen for multiple things. It does help. It puts the idea in other peoples' minds that just because he's young doesn't mean that's a bad thing." Lozier's defensive coordinator will be his father, Dave. Dave has been a long-time assistant at a handful of area schools and was also the Clyde girls basketball coach for a bunch of years. "He's been supportive from the start," Lozier said of his father. "He definitely kept me level-headed with it." The staff will also include Gunner Golden, Jack Morrison, Dustin Patten and younger brother Wil Lozier. Lozier's first goal at Lakota is to grow numbers. The Raiders had about 30 players in the program last fall. "We have a lot of kids in our school not playing football that could help us," he said. Lakota, which plays in the SBC River Division, went 5-5 in the regular season last fall before falling to Columbus Grove in the opening round of the D-VI, Region 22 playoffs. The Raiders qualified for the playoffs for the first time ever in 2021, then rebounded from a bumpy 2022 to get back into the postseason in 2023. "Mike was here for seven years and took the program to a new level," Lozier said. "Lakota wasn't always known for football. We're still trying to get to that point." In 2019, the lefty Lozier was the quarterback for eighth-seeded Clyde, which just snuck into the playoffs with a Week 10 win over Bellevue. And then the Fliers never lost. In the state championship game against Licking Valley, Lozier was 8-of-9 passing for 96 yards and rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns. "He was one of the better kids I've ever coached as far as you could tell he always thought the game and was that player-coach on the field," Clyde head coach Ryan Carter said. "... I wish him all the success in the world. I think he'll do a great job." Lozier went on a year of football at Madonnna University and then to baseball at Findlay before hanging up the cleats and getting onto the sideline. It's where he felt he'd always end up. The head gig may have come fast, but it was always in Lozier's future. And the future is now. "Since I could walk and talk, this has been my dream," Lozier said. "Anybody will tell you that."