NEWFANE — Every day Newfane defensive coordinator John Vosburgh teaches. But how he instructs depends on his audience.
During his day job as a lieutenant in the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and the co-director of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy, Vosburgh is intense and blunt. When he heads over to Newfane High School, where he is the football team’s defensive coordinator, the intensity is still there, but his words are a bit softer.
Vosburgh wants to build relationships with kids, earn their trust and make sure they know he cares about them beyond the field. That’s true whether he’s coaching varsity or his 8-year-old son’s youth team.
After graduating from Newfane in 2002, Vosburgh traded his football uniform for a military uniform when he joined the United States Marines. Four years, four deployments and three tours in Iraq later, Vosburgh still missed football.
He dabbled with pick-up games in the Marines, but he wanted more. Thirteen years ago, Vosburgh joined Newfane’s staff as an assistant coach.
Vosburgh’s military and law enforcement training show in his coaching style. Some key lessons he’s learned translate to football.
And his defense takes up his personality, fast and physical. As the unbeaten Panthers prepare to face Section V Class C champion Avon at 5 p.m. Friday for a trip to the state semifinals, Vosburgh’s defense has given up just under 200 yards per game, with an average of 11 points per game.
“For a four-year period of my life it’s probably had the biggest impact on me and gave me the foundation for pretty much everything I do,” Vosburgh said. “…The accountability, the discipline, the attention to detail, the work ethic, it’s all stuff that I got from the Marines and continue in my life. It’s helped me be successful and I try to translate that to the kids in practice.”
Once he left the Marines in 2006, Vosburgh was looking for his next career path and decided to become a Niagara County Sheriff’s Office because it allowed him to stay home and continue to make an impact in his community.
In his current job, Vosburgh trains new recruits as a master instructor for the Sheriff’s office. Vosburgh said it took him four years to complete the process of becoming a master instructor — basic training for law enforcement. As a teacher in both areas, there are skills that translate between being a coach and an instructor.
“It’s two different approaches to it, but the same goal,” Vosburgh said. “… We’re not just trying to train police officers, we’re trying to make better people when they leave here and the same thing with football, we’re not just there trying to make football players, we’re trying to make better individuals for the future, better employees out in the world, better people when they become parents, things like that.”
Vosburgh is one of five former Newfane players currently on the staff alongside Mike Capen, Connor Hill, Albert Kramp and head coach Chuck Nagel.
“I think it’s critical for a small town like Newfane, for years it was tough to find our identity,” Nagel said. “We had coaches from other towns working in Newfane. So now we have coaches that either graduated, lived in Newfane, played Newfane, graduated, they work in Newfane or they live in Newfane. So everybody here is well vested into the program and I think it’s humongous.”
Vosburgh has seen the Panthers outscore opponents 122-20 in the postseason, good for an average of 11 points per game. The Panthers also have six players with 40 or more tackles, eight players with at least one sack and seven players with an interception, led by linebacker Nasir Spencer’s eight sacks.
Newfane’s smothering defense has held opponents under 4 yards per carry on the ground, while generating big plays against the pass. The Panthers have 39 tackles for a loss, 16 sacks and 11 interceptions this season.
“Just the coaching to be honest with you,” Spencer said about his team’s success this season. “We have athletes but they put us in the right positions at the right times. Coach, he watches so much film, constantly, he knows what’s coming before we do. He’s constantly helping us and putting us in the right positions.”
During his time as the defensive coordinator, Vosburgh has enjoyed the battle between his defense and the opposing offense and how they both react to each other in the moment. He was not always a defensive coordinator at his alma mater, he previously served as the defensive backs and offensive line coach during his first year.
During his time as defensive coordinator, the biggest lesson Vosburgh has learned is to help the kids understand his game plan. He said the more that the game plan is easily digestible, the faster his players move on the field.
“I have to figure out how to simplify it enough to make the players understand it because they’re not gonna watch as much film or have the experience that we have,” Vosburgh said. “So I gotta take that and try to get them to understand it. The thing I’ve done over the years, I’ve learned the most is simplicity, keep it simple for them because I always gotta remember, they’re learning offense, defense, special teams.”