For Missouri Military Academy football to succeed, it has to develop a passion for the game.

First-year head coach Robert Rosenbaum said his first head coaching job has presented new challenges for him after almost 20 years of high school coaching experience including the lack of an offseason, lower turnout and especially lack of experience.

“This is a pretty much new experience for me as far as kids with no experience,” Rosenbaum said. “I’m talking zero experience. I’m dealing with kids from Brazil, Africa and different parts of the world. That’s the unique part of this.”

Rosenbaum said the school attracts cadets from all over the world so football might not have been in everyone’s background. This could be viewed as a disadvantage, but he said is also excited for the opportunity since it’s a good environment to witness his favorite aspect of coaching: seeing kids unlock their potential.

Rosenbaum mentioned that he has a kid that has played hockey instead of football but feels he is “aggressive” and “athletic” enough where he can “pick it up pretty quick.”

“I love coaching football. I love being in that environment,” Rosenbaum said. “What I really enjoy as a coach is seeing the kid develop. Finally, all of a sudden, the light bulb comes on because he’s finally figured something out.”

There will be a time when the roster will solidify and everyone starts clicking together, Rosenbaum said the Colonels can be special. For now, the roster is still “in flux” as kids came out for football even after the first week of fall practice, he said.

This has made it difficult to compile a depth chart, so while Rosenbaum has a general idea of what he wants the team to accomplish, nothing has been set in stone.

Regardless, Rosenbaum said the team will definitely be young and athletic. On offense, he said has been considering underclassmen for the important running back position as MMA is going to want to establish the run this season and be “methodical” with the playcalling.

“We’re mainly going to be a run-first team,” Rosenbaum said. “We’re basically going to be a gap-fire team on offense. We’re more going to be underneath the center and more of a two-back personnel type of team.”

Components of a backfield that will engage in this more physical brand of football are sophomore Daniel Johnson and freshmen Trae Griffiths and Michael Moss. Senior Gabriel Canonico expects to play quarterback following a season he was named to the all-Missouri Independent defensive team as a linebacker.

Due to smaller numbers, Rosenbaum said he will expect his players to play an “ironman” brand of football, taking positions on offense and defense. Canonico returns to the defensive unit and Johnson, Griffiths and Moss will join him in the linebacker core.

Senior Brett Miles and sophomore Seydina Issa Diop will each appear on the offensive and defensive lines, and junior Amari Potts and sophomore Ryan Miles will track balls as receivers and defensive backs.

“Right now, we’re going to run an even-front defense,” Rosenbaum said. “We’re going to control gaps and get after the ball.”

It sounds like a tough ask with everyone playing both sides of the ball, but Rosenbaum believes the Colonels can give “100 percent” effort in everything they do as long as they have the proper physical and mental conditioning.

MMA is coming off a 1-9 season that saw it score 24 points all year and be shut out in its final five games. To be at least competitive in games, Rosenbaum said it starts with not taking moments for granted and being excited to play football.

“That’s what I’m looking for: just be competitive,” Rosenbaum said. “Just go out and be competitive and play until the final whistle, not get halfway through a game and realize, ‘Hey, we don’t have a chance to win’ and just give up on themselves. I’m stressing, if you finish, the next time you go out on the field, it gets easier and easier to accomplish what you want to do out there.”

During MMA football practices, Rosenbaum and his coaching staff are constantly yelling at the kids to run or jog while on the field as opposed to walking. This isn’t meant to save time but rather to save the players from poor habitual thinking and conditioning – and hopefully poor results during games.

“If you come to practice thinking about it being practice, then you’re thinking the wrong thing” Rosenbaum said. “You want to come thinking, ‘I get to play football today’ and then you come with that attitude and you come with that desire. When you get into games, it’s so much easier for you because you practice at a high level all week long. Part of that is no walking. Everything’s on the jog, and everything’s at game tempo as high as you can keep it.”