Justin Rich felt he inherited a luxury car when he earned the “head coach” title.

Rich took the reins of The Classical Academy’s football program in 2017 after longtime coach David Bervig departed following a 9-2 season in 2016. The Titans earned another 9-2 finish in Rich’s first season, but that success stalled in his second year.

“I thought I broke the program in one year,” Rich said. “In 2018, we went 4-5. But in 2019, we stabled what we were doing in this model and we won the league championship and took off like a rocket ship, even through COVID. In 2019, that’s when we figured we were ahead of schedule and we figured maybe this is working. They handed me a nice sports car and I’ve managed to not rip the clutch out.”

The Titans own a 63-11 record since 2019 and maintain a pristine vehicle in part to the stable of football staff. As 2A’s undefeated defending champion Titans head to No. 2 Wellington at 1 p.m. Saturday for the semifinals and a 2024 state title game rematch, a host of Titan coaches helped steer TCA to success.

Nearly 20 coaches and staff – majority being volunteers – peruse the sidelines and guide practices. Rich also said each position has a coach to instruct players. Some of those coaches flaunt previous Division I experience, such as Josh Stensrud, who played tight end at Iowa State University from 1998-2002 and coaches the defensive linemen.

Stensrud moved to Colorado in 2009 and, after meeting Rich through a mutual friend, began his TCA coaching tenure in 2024. Stensrud has yet to witness a Titans loss as TCA owns a 24-game winning streak.

“Coach Rich takes the character emphasis of the school and directly infuses that into the football program and that’s something I wanted to be a part of,” Stensrud said. “There are coaching opportunities in a lot of places and I’m familiar with a lot of those. But what we do here is different and special and it’s what attracts me to what we do.”

Josh Peterson, who has coached at TCA’s middle and high school for more than 15 years, played high school football at 6A Trinity in Euless, Texas. and had an offer to play linebacker at Colorado State University.

“I was planning to play there, but I ended up meeting my wife Rebecca,” Peterson said. “After that, I decided to just do school and work.”

Peterson coaches inside linebackers for the Titans and splits time between the tackle and flag football teams. Peterson’s daughter, Kelsey, plays quarterback for the Titans’ recently crowned 4A state champion squad. Although Peterson floats between flag and tackle – he said Rich is understanding of his dual roles – he ensures the Titan linebackers remain sharp on the gridiron.

“We emphasize proper fundamentals,” Peterson said. “That starts with the details: making sure our eyes are right, making the right reads, taking the right steps and playing as a unit and not as singular players.”

For Bill Prosko, the focus on subtleties resembles his time with Army West Point. Prosko played outside linebacker, which he’s also coached at TCA for two years, for the Black Knights from 2008-11 and brought many of those drills to The Classical Academy. While he’s shared those drills, Prosko recognizes the importance of intensity and tempo.

“I try to induce stress at practice so that the games are easier,” Prosko said. “I’m on them in the drills for all the small stuff to make sure their eyes, hands and feet are perfect. It’s definitely a toned-down experience from Army, but when you tone it down, you do so at different points. We have a challenge this weekend but it’s one we’ve looked forward to all year.”

Rich’s appreciation for a well-rounded staff came from his various stops prior to TCA. Rich cut his teeth at football programs such as Ithica College in South Hill, N.Y., Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., and at CSU Pueblo. Those experiences offered Rich wisdom and molded the coach into an astute mentor.   

“Being around those programs and seeing how they get the most out of practice and their athletes is what we’re trying to replicate,” Rich said. “… My dream is for these guys to go out and play free and enjoy the experience.”

The Classical Academy crew

Name, role, TCA coaching experience, prior experience

Bart Jennings, Special teams, eighth years, Minor League Baseball, played in Japan 

Bill Prosko, Outside linebackers, second years, Army West Point 

Brian Moore, Offensive line, third years, won a national championship at Georgia Southern 

Jody Jones, Offensive coordinator, 13th year, Harding College

Josh Peterson, Inside linebackers, sixth year, D1 recruit from Texas, but did not play college football 

Josh Stensrud, Defensive line, second year, Iowa State University  

Kyle Griffith, Wide receivers, seventh year, Defiance College

Ryan Saxby, Kickers, first year, kicked at University of Alabama 

Scott Johnson, Tight ends, third year, Wheaton College 

Todd Gustafson, Defensive backs, seventh years, Bethel University 

Tim Daggett, Running backs, 22nd year, Track and field at Hillsdale College 

Todd Luft, Defensive backs, 12th year, DNP college 

John Zachman, Asst. Offensive linebackers, 10th year, DNP college 

Jessica Zachman, Operations assistant, eighth year 

Michael Tsogt, JV/Varsity Asst. Defensive backs, 1st year, DNP college

Scott Smetana, JV Offensive coordinator, fourth year, played at University of Kansas 

Andrew Borchert, Asst OL, first year, TCA graduate 

Jayde Duncan, JV Def. Asst., first fear, DNP 

Jarrod Langely, JV Off. Asst., first year, DNP 

PJ Musilli, Weights and conditioning asst., first year, Abilene Christian University