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With fervor, Garza's in at Round Lake

With his infectious enthusiasm, Cristo Garza proclaims what sounds akin to thinking you can build a snowman in South Beach.

"I truly believe you can win here at Round Lake," Round Lake's newest head football coach said. "You talk about dream jobs. You talk about where you want to go. I've worn Panther Pride on my sleeve and in my heart all my life. So it's an easy sell. I did it, kids. I lived through being that team that nobody thought could do something and we did it."

Holy Cristo.

Win at Round Lake?

In football?

Funny thing is, you should believe in Cristo. After all, Garza knows what it's like to be a Round Lake kid, work hard, win some football games for the high school team, play college ball, and serve as an assistant coach on a pair of winning programs in Lake County.

At 36, 19 years after graduating from Round Lake, he's taking over the football team at his alma mater. The position became available when young Jordan Eder stepped down recently following two seasons to accept at position at his high school alma mater, Antioch, where he will be an assistant coach.

Garza has been teaching at Round Lake since the start of the school year but last fall completed his third season as an assistant coach at Warren.

"Going into (the 2015) season, I was going to help out Jordan and be his offensive coordinator probably," Garza said. "As fate would have it, he leaves and I was like, 'Heck, I've been looking to be a head coach and maybe take that path.' This job opened up. No way. Thankfully, I was at the right place at the right time."

Thankfully for Round Lake, the school had a great candidate under its roof. The Panthers were suddenly minus not only Eder but also their offensive and defensive coordinators from last season. OC Dan DeBoeuf was named the head coach at Johnsburg, while DC Bryan Shredl got the head job at Case High in Racine.

Garza fits what athletic director Mike Mizwicki was looking for: a guy who can bring stability to Panthers Football.

"We want to try to build a program," Mizwicki said. "When there's a high rate of turnover, then it's hard to get the people in the town connected with your football program (to buy in)."

Garza is Round Lake's fifth head coach since 2004, when Kevin Dempsey stepped down. Having assisted on staffs at Lakes and Warren, and having played for Round Lake, Garza knows maybe better than anyone what it will take to get the most out of his new team.

The Panthers haven't won more than three games in a season since 2006 and haven't been to the state playoffs since 2001 under Dempsey.

"No one out there has probably worn Round Lake on his sleeve prouder than Coach Garza," Coach Garza said. "You'd think (laughing) that I was talking about the Green Bay Packers the way it was back in the day. I think that energy is what the kids are going to love here. It's from the heart. It's what I believe."

Garza has been well-schooled.

He played offensive and defensive line for Dempsey, graduating in 1996. After college, he served three seasons as an assistant coach on Dempsey's staff.

"He was one of the first guys to seek me out and just say congrats (on being named coach at Round Lake)," Garza said of Dempsey. "He said (jokingly), 'You're crazy. I did it long enough to know you lose your hair. But I'm happy for you.' "

Garza went on to play football at Olivet Nazarene University, and in 1998 he played in the NAIA national championship game in Savannah, Tenn. After two years, he transferred to Saint Xavier University in Chicago and graduated with a degree in general studies.

After his three years at Round Lake, in 2005, he wound up at the newest high school in Lake County, Lakes. He coached under Luke Mertens, who's built the Eagles into a consistent winner.

"Thankfully for me, Luke Mertens came to town," Garza said. "I owe everything I am as a coach and as a professional to Luke. Just to be a part of that process over there and help him out through the thick and thin was just awesome."

Garza coached seven years, including his last three as offensive coordinator, at Lakes. During that time, he went back to school and got his masters and became certified as a teacher in history. He then landed a teaching position at Warren, where he was also hired by head football coach Dave Mohapp.

"Coaching at Warren was completely different from any experience I ever had - just the sheer numbers," Garza said. "At Lakes, I thought we had some pretty good numbers (in the football program). And then I get to Warren and (laughing) there's like 33 offensive linemen that I got to coach."

He spent three years at Warren, including last fall under first-year head coach Bryan McNulty.

Now, for the first time in his football coaching career, he's the head man.

And, yes, he's more than ready.

"The two things that my football program are going to be wrapped around are the things I've learned at Lakes and what we did at Warren," Garza said. "Accountability and relationships are the two words that you're always going to hear if you come to a Round Lake practice, to a Round Lake banquet. We got to change the culture of those two things."

Amen, Cristo.

jaguilar@dailyherald.com

• Follow Joe on Twitter: @JoeAguilar64

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