Breyfogle Named Defensive Coordinator at Lafayette Central Catholic
His playing days yielded nothing, but success. His coaching career is getting off to that same start!
Gavin Breyfogle was a consistent force for the Winamac Warriors Football Program throughout his time playing under Hall-of-Fame Head Coach Tim Roth. In his Senior season at Winamac, Breyfogle helped lead the Warriors to the school’s sixth Football Sectional Championship, and the second 2A Sectional Championship in the program’s history.
Upon graduating from Winamac Community High School in the Spring of 2017, Breyfogle traveled north to continued his football career. The former Warrior was heavily recruited by Division III power St. Norbert College, just five miles south of Green Bay, Wisconsin. With the incredible experiences Breyfogle had, playing in two premiere programs at both the high school and collegiate levels, coaching would be the next logical step on his path.
The Winamac native has found himself coaching at one of the highest levels in the State of Indiana. An assistant coach at Lafayette Central Catholic, following his playing days, Breyfogle was recently hired as the Defensive Coordinator for the 1A defending State Champions!
“We had a Defensive Coordinator who had just moved here” Breyfogle said. “He got a job offer at another school in the area. Once he left, we knew that I was going to be stepping into the Defensive Coordinator position. So I took over the day that he left and I got rolling on our stuff”.
The Knights, historically, have been extremely successful in the sport of football in Class 1A as well as a brief stint in 2A. Going back to 1976, the Knights have managed to win twelve Sectional Championships, including a 2A Sectional Championship in 2014, to go along with nine Regional Championships, seven Semi-State Championships, and eight State Titles. The winning combination, in Breyfogle’s eyes, is fairly simple for the Knights.
“It’s really a mixture of the coaches and the players” Breyfogle said of the program’s historic success. “Those kids are just phenomenal. I mean, they come everyday dedicated to getting one percent better. They don’t focus on the things that they’re doing great, they try to get better at the things they need to improve on”.
Gavin feels very fortunate that he has the opportunity to have a high-quality head coach to learn under, in third year Coach Brian Ney, who is 17-10 heading into his third year at LCC.
“I work under a great coach in Brian Ney. He gets those kids motivated everyday. He pumps up the juice when everyone is feeling down. He’s a true technician and really just loves the sport” Breyfogle said. “When you have people like that, it’s kind of hard to take anything less than what you know is your best. That’s always been Central Catholic’s pride, giving what they can give and not accepting anything less”.
When it comes to his own personal playing experience at both the high school, as well as the collegiate level, Breyfogle had an incredible opportunity to learn the sport from some of the best. When it comes to the early part of his own coaching career, Gavin is extremely grateful for the coaches he had along the way.
“I couldn’t have asked to be anywhere else, in high school or college, to get me ready to be a coach. I’ve worked under some of the best coaches in the State of Indiana. Tim Roth, at the time, the Hendryx brothers, and the Burgess’. I was just truly blessed to learn from them and see what a great coach puts into, not just practice, but when they go home” said Breyfogle. “How they do film, how they carry themselves in the school, and just really see what it takes to be a great coach all-around”.
Breyfogle’s invaluable time in the college ranks allowed him the opportunity to see what hard work at the next level entails.
“Playing in college really showed me what it’s like to work hard. I knew we worked hard in Winamac, but when you get to a college team, they really take it up to another level and they teach you what it is to give your 100%. I believe my coaches there got me ready to expect greatness out of the kids.” He continued, “Don’t let them do anything less than what they’re ready for”.
As far as the upcoming season goes for the defending State Champions and their new defensive coordinator, you could almost see the smile on Breyfogle’s face when asked what the Lafayette Central Catholic defense will look like this season.
“Fast and aggressive!” Breyfogle said. “We’re going to get back to how we were my first year here, and focus on shutting down the run. Our guys are really good when they’re playing fast and aggressive, and just reading and reacting. We’ve got some great players at Central Catholic, so we’re just going to let them play this year”.
Assuming everything runs as scheduled, Breyfogle’s defense will see it’s first action, at home in week 1, when the Knights play host to 3A Tri-West.
*Pictures In This Article Provided By Gavin Breyfogle*
