Hard to pronounce but easy to watch: Cooper Josefczyk has become a high school football star for Medina

Cooper Josefczyk has made a name for himself. The next humongous step is getting people outside the Medina football program, especially opposing public address announcers, to pronounce it correctly. "It's been terrible," the 16-year-old said with a laugh before launching into the many ways his Polish surname has been butchered. "It's been so bad. I've had that the whole time I've been playing football." For the record, the correct pronunciation is Joe-seff-sick, said quickly with a slight accent on the second syllable. It will likely be said a lot — in some way, shape or form — when the sixth-seeded Bees (8-3) play third-seeded Wadsworth (9-2) tonight at 7 in a Division I, Region 1 quarterfinal playoff game at Art Wright Memorial Stadium. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Josefczyk leads Medina County with 108 tackles and 17 tackles for loss from his middle linebacker position. The junior also has four sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Also a running back when Medina deviates from its five-wide offense, Josefczyk and Highland receiver/defensive back Matt Ciryak are the only county players to score touchdowns four ways this season, with Ciryak doing it via rush, reception, kick return and punt return and Josefczyk doing it via rush, reception, fumble recovery and interception. A true multi-purpose player, Josefczyk has carried the ball just eight times but has 75 yards (9.4 average) and four TDs. He only has three receptions for 116 yards (38.7 average), but one went for a school-record 97 yards and a TD against Shaker Heights. It is at linebacker where he's been most valuable for the Bees, as his many exploits have included a 40-yard fumble return for a TD in a 40-23 win over Wadsworth in Week 3 and a 26-yard pick-six in a 42-41 loss to Mentor in Week 4. "He's very intuitive, very smart," Medina coach Larry Laird said. "When you think of a football player, he's a football player." An avid weightlifter since the seventh grade, Josefczyk is a rare combination of power (350-pound bench, 405 squat, 405 deadlift) and speed (4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and possesses a chiseled physique. "It's like an addiction," he said of working out. "During track, when I try to shed a few pounds to get faster, it's terrible not being able to go in there (to the weight room) and do whatever I want." A youth league and middle school phenom at running back, where it wasn't unusual for him to score five or six TDs in a game, there was a time when Josefczyk considered attending another high school so he could eventually play that position full time at the varsity level. "I looked at a couple private schools, but with the people I'm playing with now and especially the coaches, it just didn't feel right leaving," he said. "I'm so grateful I made the decision to stay. Being able to grow with my brothers is the best decision I've ever made." Josefczyk still dreams of what it would be like to get 15 to 20 carries a game — he might get more opportunities as a senior due to the graduation of All-Ohio quarterback Danny Stoddard — and is confident he would be a 1,000-yard rusher, but teammate and close friend Tallen Hulvey takes that a step further. "He'd be one of the best in the state, without a doubt," the junior safety said. "He's the type of player who can perform at a super high level. He's just got incredible speed and strength. He can do it all." Right now, Josefczyk is concentrating on doing it all on defense, with occasional offensive opportunities mixed in. He is quick to credit his defensive line for applying the pressure that led to his interceptions and for providing lanes that allow him to make tackles, but Hulvey notes that No. 3 sometimes makes plays entirely on his own. "He plays fast and he plays aggressive," Hulvey said. "He's really strong, and you can obviously tell by looking at him. He can move a lot of weight really fast. That plays a big role in how he plays." Josefczyk developed that playing style after watching the 2015 Seattle Seahawks as an 8-year-old. "I play as violent and as aggressive as possible," he said. "The reason I got into football was the 2015 Seahawks, the Legion of Boom with Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor and those guys. They were all super hard, physical hitters. The way they played was awesome. That's what made me fall in love with the game. "I'll see a receiver or running back in the open field and my eyes light up. I'm picturing lighting him up. It's awesome when you do. It's an amazing feeling." Now if only public address announcers outside of Medina would learn to pronounce his name correctly. "I'll hear it when I'm on the field and I'm like, 'Really, dude?'" he said with a laugh. "It got so bad at one game that my mom (Jen) wrote it out on a piece of paper and gave it to one of the announcers." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.