School sports have no shortage of goals, memories and lessons that appear along the way. Every practice and game has helped lead the way to such milestones. For Miami Palmetto Senior High Football Coach Mike Manasco, the 100th win for the football team under his leadership is a definite milestone to mark.
“I graduated from Palmetto in 1997. It has always been the kind of place where I’ve always wanted to end up because I went to school here,” Manasco said.
Manasco began his football coaching journey as an assistant coach at Miami Southridge Senior High in 2002 and then moved on to be their head coach in 2009. Then, for five years, he started a football program at Westland Hialeah Senior High School. After this experience, he landed the head coaching role at MPSH in 2014.
“It’s special when you get to coach for the place where you once played,” Manasco said.
When he arrived as head coach for the MPSH football team, the team was on a losing streak. He had to work around multiple issues within the football program’s culture. It took him about a year and a half to help the football program find the balance it has today.
“Now it’s just kind of been rolling, and we have made the playoffs every single year since 2016, so it is the new place to be nowadays,” Manasco said.
Manasco describes how his success as a coach is deeply influenced by his personal experiences as a dedicated father. This has played an integral role in the program’s success and his motivation.
“[The players] keep me young. Every year, my huddle gets bigger. We have so many kids that have such diverse backgrounds,” Manasco said.
In 2020, MPSH was able to make it past the second round of the playoffs, which was a huge deal for the team. They were able to make it all the way to the state semifinals, marking a significant turning point for the players and coaches.
“We have won six district championships in the last 10 years, which is big for MPSH since they had only won two playoff games in history before I got to MPSH. These are good accomplishments, but we are still missing the big one, the state championship,” Manasco said.
Coaches typically have an immense impact on their players. For Manasco, using the school’s football motto seems to have the largest influence on his players.
“Our motto here is effort, attitude and toughness. I just want our guys to know that those three words embody everything, not just football, but just the way that you should handle your life and adversity and all things that come with it,” Manasco said.
Through years of coaching, Manasco has earned invaluable lessons and believes that one of the best is to surround oneself with hardworking people.
“Nothing replaces hard work. Do not ever ask somebody to do something you would not do yourself,” Manasco said.
