Winter Haven’s John Kostuch is maximizing his strength for the 2024 high school football season.
With the season on the horizon, one of the more talented throwers in Polk County is ensuring that his arm strength isn’t an issue so that he can continue to lead a Winter Haven program that went 7-4 in 2023, the second straight season it racked up seven wins or more.
“Being stronger increases everything on the field from my throwing distance to my footwork,” Kostuch said. “Being one of the veterans on my team, I have to keep myself and the team accountable to being a strong unit. Working with my OC Coach Wilburn has helped increase my knowledge of the game.
“I am always looking for ways to help improve my team’s success. We push ourselves to get better in the weight room and we know we can count on each other.”
In Kostuch’s mind, it’s best to get better as a team. For the team to get stronger, the squad started its spring lifting program at 5:30 a.m., to work when others are not. And as a result, the team is experiencing bigger gains, continuing to have daily lifts over the summer in hopes of competing against the Lakelands and Lake Waleses of the world.
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“Strength is a basis for everything that we do on the field,” Kostuch said. "When we all see one another getting stronger, it is motivating and it gets us ready for our season together.”
Recently, Kostuch was at a Florida International camp throwing amongst his peers. He was working on his short, intermediate and deep ball passing, throwing to receivers running a myriad of route concepts.
Kostuch has gotten better each season of high school. In his last year at Ridge, he threw for 18 touchdowns and 1,758 yards en route to a 5-4 season, while last year in his first season at Winter Haven, he put up 11 touchdowns and 1,197 yards passing en route a 7-4 season, which helped him become third-team all-county.
Of course, his ultimate goal is to become a college quarterback.
“I have a lot of great relationships with college coaches that I value and want to keep no matter what the future holds,” he said.
Winter Haven offensive coordinator Jon Wilburn said Kostuch’s work ethic is second to none.
“(He) has all of the intangibles and is one of the hardest workers I have ever met,” Wilburn said. “Don’t miss out coaches.”
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