Brodniak Leads Mill Creek Cougars With Positivity And Fundamentals

In just its second year of existence, the Mill Creek Cougars junior football program has grown from a single team into a full franchise with five age-level squads—Peewees, 89ers, Juniors, Bantams, and Seniors. At the center of that rapid growth is Roger Brodniak, program president and head coach of the Bantams team, who has turned decades of football knowledge into a youth program built on more than just wins and losses.

Brodniak’s football journey began at Cascade High School, where he played quarterback under legendary head coach Terry Ennis. In 1991, Brodniak helped lead Cascade to a AAA state championship, a formative experience that would shape his coaching path for years to come.

“I grew up playing at Cascade High School under Terry Ennis. And he was a pretty legendary coach,” Brodniak recalled. “In my junior year, we won the state championship, and then he started a new football program at Archbishop Murphy in 2000.”

Brodniak joined Ennis at Archbishop Murphy High School that year as a varsity assistant and JV head coach. From 2000 to 2007, the coaching staff guided the Wildcats to two 1A state titles in 2002 and 2003. In 2012, Brodniak was named interim co-head coach and offensive coordinator, where he led the team to a 6–1 record and a 2A state quarterfinal appearance.

“I decided to coach with him, and I also became a teacher. I’ve been at Archbishop Murphy since then, and I coached a total of 10 years at the high school,” he said.

Eventually, Brodniak stepped away from high school football and began coaching youth flag football when his son took an interest in the game. That led to success at the county level, with his teams reaching the Snohomish County championships. But when his older son wanted to transition to tackle football, Brodniak noticed limited options—and decided to create his own program.

“In an already competitive league, I wanted to bring my knowledge from Coach Ennis—our Wing-T, run-based offense, and all the fundamentals—to my kids. I just felt like I wanted to bring the principles that I learned to my own football program and started it up. We’re Mill Creek Cougars.”

In their first season, Brodniak’s Cougars Bantam team went 6–3 and made it to the league semifinals, losing twice to the eventual champions. But to Brodniak, the record wasn’t the most important part of the story.

“I felt like it was a good growing year. I think it was a positive year,” he said. “But now, the most important thing to me is that every sixth grader on that 5th and 6th grade team came back to play in 7th grade. So, we had 100% retention. Regardless of the record, if you asked me how we did—that’s actually more important to me than wins.”

For Brodniak, who teaches AP U.S. Government at Archbishop Murphy, football is more than just competition. It’s a tool for education, growth, and mentorship. Whether on the field or in the classroom, he sees sports as an extension of lifelong learning.

“Personal growth, teamwork, and respect—those are things I try to teach,” Brodniak said. “That’s what I believe in, and I think football is a great way to help teach that to kids.”

He’s also realistic about the challenges of running a youth program. With athletes still learning the fundamentals, Brodniak emphasizes patience and consistent instruction over perfection.

“The biggest thing we all need to work on is understanding how to get a body on a body—that’s blocking,” he explained. “Don’t let them get away. And then tackling—we constantly teach that there’s going to be a collision, but if your body is on their body, they’re more likely to go down as opposed to just reaching.”

He also pointed to ball security as a key focus. “We had a great play called—he gained 8 yards—and he fumbled at the end. So maybe we should work on ball security more,” he admitted with a chuckle. “Even as a coach, I’m sometimes guilty of focusing on plays and schemes before the basics, like center exchange or carrying the ball properly.”

At the core of his team’s offense is the Wing-T philosophy—built on deception, movement, and unselfish play.

“We’re Wing-T, so we run and fake and block. That’s our philosophy. We pass when we need to,” said Brodniak. “We want to give the ball to different people, and when they don’t have the ball, they block and fake. Everyone has a role. We want three backs getting a reasonable number of carries so defenses can’t just focus on one guy. That’s our team mentality—everybody is important.”

But Brodniak’s vision for the Cougars extends beyond Xs and Os. He’s intentional about creating an atmosphere where kids, families, and coaches feel supported, encouraged, and valued.

“My vision for the Cougars is rooted in fun,” he said. “Sometimes youth sports become a place for anger or frustration or just negativity. It would be nice to take that ‘let’s be nice to people’ idea and really put it into practice. This is a kid’s game.”

He’s seen how the tone of a program—good or bad—can impact everyone involved.

“You can be super nice, and everybody’s happy, but maybe not teach football well. On the other hand, you can teach great football but miss the mark on how to treat people,” he said. “I don’t mean to sound preachy, and we’re not perfect, but that’s a goal of ours—to teach positivity, especially toward referees and our opponents.”

For Brodniak, it’s about balance: excellent football and excellent behavior. He knows from experience that kids thrive in environments where both are modeled.

“Well, two things—we want to be really good at football, and we want to be nice too,” he said. “If you don’t have one of those, you can run into problems. I’ve been around both in my career, and I think we’ve found a good middle ground.”

As the Mill Creek Cougars program enters its second season with a full slate of teams, Brodniak remains focused on building a culture of respect, fun, and development. Whether it’s his own Bantam squad or the entire organization, the message is the same: everyone matters, and every season is a chance to grow.