(Harlan) He’s spent 31 years coaching in the Hawkeye Ten and has no inclination to slow down any time soon. Harlan’s Mark Kohorst joins the “Why I Coach” series.
Kohorst has been involved in football, basketball, track, and tennis. After spending his first five years of at Kuemper Catholic, he found great opportunity at Harlan. “Probably been the best move of my life. I’ve been here for 26 years and have so many unbelievable memories because of that. I feel fortunate to be at Harlan because basically the expectation is to win state championships. At a lot of schools that’s not the case, but here it is. I wouldn’t want to be any other place than here because of that. Some people might consider that pressure, but I like that atmosphere.”
Kohorst has worked to find the right balance between being composed and expressing passion. “One of my mentors, coach Mitch Osborn, told me there always has to be somebody that’s under control and calm. Especially in football I try to keep an even keel because things can get a little hectic out on the field. When you are talking to your quarterback or receivers you try to maintain a cool demeanor. I’ll be real honest, once in a while emotions take over and you get fired up. I think for the most part I’ve calmed down a little bit over the years, but I also think that’s a good point. When you show a little emotion that means you care.”
Being entrenched in the atmosphere of Harlan sports has helped Kohorst get through a couple of major health issues. “Working for a man like Mitch Osborn he always treated me very well. Working for Curt Bladt, same thing. I can’t think of two other people that have impacted sports in Iowa like those guys have. I look back when I had cancer and there were a lot of days when I really didn’t want to get out of bed. What I would do is I’d go to football practice and jump on the golf cart with coach Curt Bladt. A lot of times I’d just ride on the cart with him and just getting out of the house and being outside and being with those guys was probably some of the best medicine that I ever took.”
Kohorst’s start in education and coaching began at his alma mater. The Kuemper Catholic alum didn’t necessarily make it a point to come home, but that’s how the chips fell. “When I was out looking for jobs I told myself I was going to take the first job that was offered to me. I had a couple of interviews down in the Des Moines. and one at Kuemper. As it worked out, Kuemper was the first one to offer so I took the job. Two days later Carlisle called and said they wanted me, but I had already signed a contract. So I went to Kuemper and was there for five years. That was a fantastic experience. I worked with a guy by the name of Mick Angell. He was the girls basketball coach there and I learned a lot of things from him that I still use today.”
Anyone that has been positively influenced by Kohorst’s coaching has Kuemper Catholic’s 1985 state basketball championship to thank. “I actually initially did not think I was going to be a teacher. I went to Iowa State to be an accountant and back in 1985 I was a sophomore at Iowa State and my alma mater was in the state championship game in basketball. The team that Nick Nurse and Brian David played on. They ended up winning the state championship in the large school class back then. That just had a great affect on me. It brought that community together. It was in the farm crisis. Everything was good after that it seemed like in Carroll. Everybody was happy. I just liked the impact it had on the community itself and the student athletes. I decided to leave the business world and go into teaching and coaching.”
Assistant coaches have several different duties. One of the more interesting tasks Kohorst has had was keeping basketball coach Mitch Osborn from going too far out onto the court. “One of my jobs when I first was on his staff was to reign him in. to grab him by the back of his belt and have him sit down. It was a full-time job. I wouldn’t say he was a wild man, but he knew his feelings and made sure the officials knew how he was feeling. Now that he’s gotten a little bit older and wiser and so forth he has a different way of getting his point across.”
Kohorst says the time commitment it took to be a successful coach was the biggest eye opener when he started his career.
Previous Coaches
(Click to listen)
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Dick Strittmatter, Atlantic native
Jeremy Blake and Michelle Blake, Nodaway Valley/Atlantic
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Monte Riebhoff)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Steve Ahrendsen)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Scott Weber)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Curt Mace)
Steve Pelzer, Cumberland-Massena
Andy Hensley, Cumberland-Massena grad (Tri-Center)
Jason Mehrhoff, Anita Native (Carlisle)
Eric Hjelle, Elk Horn-Kimballton grad (Underwood)
Brett Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum (Waukee Northwest)
Warren Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Scott Yates, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Marc Bierbaum, Griswold grad and Iowa Western track/cross country assistant
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Jim Flanery, Guthrie Center alum (Creighton women’s basketball)
Curt Schulte, Harlan graduate (Glenwood)
Liz Stein, Harlan graduate (Audubon and Underwood)
Mark Kohorst, Harlan (Kuemper Alum)
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
Dan Schleisman, Shelby-Tennant and Treynor
Chad Harder, (Walnut Grad) Tri-Center
Josh Abel, (Walnut grad), Tri-Center
Kevin Suhr, (Walnut Grad) Blue Valley High School, KS
