Coaches

Meet the members of the Blue Valley West coaching staff.
Blue Valley West Jaguars Coaching Staff

Josh Koerkenmeier

Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator/ Super Backs-Tight Ends

This will be Coach Koerkenmeier’s 15th season at BVW and his 8th season as the head coach. He played at Blue Valley High School and Emporia State before starting his teaching and coaching career at BVW in 2008. Coach Koerkenmeier teaches PE and Social Studies while also serving as the throws coach for the BVW track program. He is married to Darcy and has 8-year-old and 10-year-old daughters.

Ryan Copp

Associate Head Coach / Quarterbacks

Coach Copp is a 2005 BV West graduate and member of the BVW Athletics Hall of Fame. He was in education for 14 years and has coached football for 17 years. He is currently working with his brother in the private sector while still coaching at BVW. He is married to Amy and the have two daughters, Charlotte (6) and Madison (3).

Danny Catanzaro

Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Backs

This is Coach Cat’s 16th year coaching high school football and his 8th year at BVW. He played in high school at Vernon Hills High School in suburban Chicago. After graduating from VHHS he attended Bradley University where he played rugby. Coach Cat teaches mathematics and also coaches freshman wrestling at BVW. He is married to Nellie and they have a daughter, Bella, who will turn 2 this season.

Luke Farnsworth

Strength Coordinator / Outside Linebackers

This will be Coach Farnsworth’s 6th season coaching football at Blue Valley West. He is also an assistant track coach for Blue Valley West. This is Coach Farnsworth’s 2nd year as a teacher at BVW where he teaches weights classes and serves as the strength coordinator. He graduated from Emporia State University and also has his Masters from Pittsburg State University.

 

Joe Allison

Special Teams Coordinator / Nickels

Coach Allison is in his 6th season as the head baseball coach as well as coaching football and teaching PE at BVW. He coached football and baseball at Leavenworth HS for 18 years. While at Leavenworth, Coach Allison spent time as the defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, head middle school coach, and worked mainly with running backs, linebackers, and defensive backs. Coach Allison played college football and baseball for 2 years at Benedictine College before transferring to Washburn University to finish up his last 2 years of football. Joe is married to his wife Heather and has 4 children.

Tyler Dickerson

Wide Receivers

Coach Dickerson is in his 4th year teaching and coaching at Blue Valley West. He graduated from the University of Kansas. Coach Dickerson is also the head softball coach at West. He is a part of the Business Education Department where he teaches Business Essentials, Marketing, and Personal Finance, and also runs the School Store. Coach Dickerson and his wife Molly recently celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary.

Randy Lowe

Running Backs

Coach Lowe is beginning his 37th season of coaching high school football. He teaches Physical Education and coaches the running backs. He started at West when the school opened and has been the only Head Wrestling coach in the school’s history. He is married to wife Staci and has 3 children.

Eric Fritch

Offensive Line

Coach Fritch is in his 3rd year coaching football at BVW. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Special Education and a minor in coaching. He will be entering his 4th year teaching at Pleasant Ridge Middle School where he has coached basketball and track. Eric is currently the 8th grade resource teacher at PRMS.

Nate Harrison

Offensive Line

This will be Coach Harrison’s 2nd season coaching at BVW and his 17th season coaching football. He has coached offensive line, running backs, and quarterbacks during his career. He played high school football at Hugoton High School (KS) and college football at Butler Community College and Pittsburg State University. He currently teaches Strength and Conditioning and is the head track and field coach at Olathe South High School. Coach Harrison and his wife, Liz, have three daughters.

Reed Howard

Inside Linebackers

This will be Coach Howard’s 2nd season coaching at BVW and his 11th season coaching football (last 10 at Olathe South). He is married to Megan (11 Years), and has three children Owen (7), Grant (5) and Lucy (1). Coach Howard graduated from Olathe South and attended Washburn University where he played baseball and majored in biology. He has his Masters in Teaching from Baker University. Coach Howard currently teaches biology at Olathe South and has served as an assistant baseball coach since 2012.

Codi Willard

Safeties

This will be Coach Willard’s 10th year coaching high school football and 2nd at BVW. He is starting his 6th season as a baseball coach at Olathe South. He grew up in Olathe and played high school football at Olathe North. After high school, Codi played football at the University of Central Missouri. He has a Liberal Arts degree and is currently finishing a degree in Special Education. He and his wife, Sarah, have a 1 year old daughter and a 13-year-old son, Kaden.

Andrew Thurman

Wide Receivers

This will be Coach Thurman’s 2nd  year coaching at Blue Valley West. He is a BVW alumni and played wide receiver for the Jaguars before continuing his academic and football career at the University of Nebraska. Coach Thurman is currently an engineer at Black and Veatch.

Matt Wood

Defensive Line

This will be Coach Wood’s 2nd year coaching at BVW. He has 20 years of experience coaching and teaching experience in the Olathe School District. Coach Wood played football and graduated from Ottawa University. He and his wife Kate have 3 kids (Lexi, Lily, and Luke).

Travis Thurston

Offensive Line

This will be Coach Thurston’s first year at BVW.  This is his 13th year teaching and 15th year coaching football.  He has coached offensive line, running backs, and quarterbacks in his career.  Coach Thurston also begins his first year as a math teacher at BVW.  He is a 2010 graduate from Kansas State University.  He will marry his wife Katherine in 2022. 

Joe Colwell

Corners

This will be Coach Colwell’s 1st season coaching at BVW.  He played at Olathe East and his father Kevin was a math teacher/football coach at BVW from 2001- 2015.  Coach Colwell  will graduate from K-State after completing his student teaching at BVW this fall.