Crooksville's Gage Lotozo: 'I'm quitting because I have to, not because I want to.'

CROOKSVILLE — For the third time in five years, Crooksville is looking for a new football coach.

Third-year head coach Gage Lotozo has resigned, citing health reasons. His exit comes just two weeks before the start of two-a-day practices, as the district is now in scramble mode trying to find a successor.

It's not a situation that Lotozo, whom the Ceramics hired after Casey Vallee resigned in 2021, wanted. A young, up-and-coming team, led by sophomore quarterback Brayson Hill and a host of others who gained experience last year, figure to be much improved.

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Lotozo led the charge, and he was looking forward to seeing how much progress the team has made. Now he's in a fight for his personal well-being, citing three separate incidents with his health since January that led to decision.

One came as recently as the Fourth of July, which led him to finally visiting a doctor to seek the root of the problem. The news he received was not of the positive variety, other than he was still living and upright.

He wouldn't go into details, offering that his doctor said he "was in a critical state with this." After a discussion with wife Abby, with whom he has three children ages 5-and-under, it was determined that stepping away from coaching was the best course of action.

He coached in the team's 7-on-7 passing scrimmage on Tuesday at Miller before informing the team of his plans to resign on Wednesday.

"It was bad, the emotional end of it," Lotozo said late Wednesday. "I've invested a lot of time in it with the kids. Just building the relationship with the kids, the back and forth — they feel what they can do with me. The offseason was great.

"Nothing skips a beat," he added. "It's going be different for a little bit, obviously, but a lot of the things we preach — we were starting to really be a player-led team. One of the reasons I felt good about this season is because I haven't had to do a lot of that this offseason. The players are holding themselves accountable."

Lotozo's 2023 squad started 3-0 with a team featuring a plethora of underclassmen that saw extensive time. They finished 3-7, but the coaching staff expanded in the offseason with two assistants with 10-plus years of experience at the varsity level.

He said the weight room culture is as strong as it has been since he started, with the players leading the way. He said he truly enjoyed coaching this offseason, adding he "wasn't sitting around angry every day. Football was going well."

"From where we were when I started to where we are now, I am really proud of that," Lotozo said. "I am quitting because I have to, not because I want to."

Lotozo said he wants to remain involved on some level, but it won't be on a day-to-day basis as long as his health is at the forefront. He wishes he had gone to the doctor after his first episode in January, "and maybe all of this could have been avoided."

"This is my fault," Lotozo said. "I should have done something a lot sooner."

Athletic director Mike Fulkerson said the school is "looking for the best solution," moving forward. Of the five coaches on staff, none work within the district.

With the season-opener at Fisher Catholic six weeks away, time is of the essence.

"Gage is a young coach and guy with three kids and a family," Fulkerson said. "He needs to take care of himself and get healthy. We're in the planning phase, trying to figure out what we're going to do."

Lotozo is a Sheridan grad who played fullback and linebacker for a team that finished No. 1 in Division III by the Associated Press under Hall of Famer Paul Culver Jr. He then played four years at Bethany College, where he later joined the coaching staff as linebackers coach.

He also served as athletic director and head football coach at Rosecrans.

"I don't think I have had a fall off since I played flag football in third grade," Lotozo said. "I plan to get back in coaching, but the biggest thing is I have to take this serious."

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Crooksville's Gage Lotozo: 'I'm quitting because I have to, not because I want to.'