Liberty’s Varsity Football Team has been quite a force to be reckoned with under the guidance of their coach. With 16 years of success, he shares his journey with us, from military service to mentorship.
“I always loved watching sports, playing sports,” Coach Muraco says. “When I graduated from high school, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into college or anything. I wasn’t a very good student in high school, so I went to the military.”
He continued on to serve in the Air Force, and after doing so, he found his passion for sports again, and discovered that he could make it into a successful job. He went for a degree in Physical Education, coaching various youth sports such as football, basketball, baseball, etc, before joining Liberty High School as an assistant coach in 2003.
Coach Muraco explains, “I went to a career counselor and figured out that I love sports, so I figured, ‘What can I do to stay involved with sports?’ and coaching was one of those things,” giving insight on how his coaching came to be!
While he was content with being a position coach, fate intervened, giving him the chance to lead as head coach. He accepted the challenge, achieving great success.
Muraco states, “I never really wanted to be the head coach…I just liked being a position coach and an assistant coach, but when the opportunity presented itself for me to be the head coach, I took it over.”
The team’s preparation for their games is seemingly tedious. Muraco provides insight on this, saying that they actually put in more hours preparing for the game than they actually practice.
The main team captains, Derek Jones (95), Eliah Logo (92), Elijah Espinosza (12), and Jeremiah Owane (24), embody dedication, discipline, and sportsmanship. They all have the responsibility to represent the team, and Coach Muraco adds on to this, “Overall, the kind of captains that I count on would be Derek, Eliah, Elijah, and Jeremiah. They do a good job filling in for me.”
Under his guidance, Liberty’s Varsity Football Team has become a demonstration of passion for the sport, dedication to the players, leadership by example, and the power of mentorship.
Their commitment to excellence, led by their inspiring coach, can be admired by many in the football community.
And so, Muraco ends off with his gratitude and thanks, “I’ve been very blessed to have a lot of success in the past 16 years. Thank you.”