WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — For 32 years, Mark Kantor’s been a football coach.

He’s won a lot of games. And he’s led a lot of young men.

And these players keep him on his toes.

What You Need To Know

  • The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls have kicked off the season with four-straight wins

  • Head Coach Mark Kantor has been on a football sideline for 32 years

  • This season, his son, Carson, is a sophomore defensive lineman on the team

  • The Kantor family cheering section has grown to include foster children and an adopted child

“It makes you feel young again,” Kantor said. “And we’re not getting any younger, but it makes you feel young.”

Kantor’s football players aren’t the only ones that allow him to dip in the fountain of youth. His expanding family — that includes his son Carson, a sophomore defensive lineman for Wiregrass Ranch — now includes a larger cheering section on the sideline.

While Kantor metes out the X’s and O’s, his wife, Mindy, commandeers the sideline. In nearly 25 years of marriage, she’s spent a lot of her Friday nights at the football field. Now, she keeps her head on a swivel.

“I just have to keep an eye on them,” Mindy said. “Really, it’s not any different, except trying to watch my actual child play the game.”

The Kantors began expanding their family in 2021 when they first became foster parents. Their first two foster children were reunited with their families — that’s always the goal. Their third foster child, Pra’Yer, became a permanent member of the Kantor family. They adopted him at Christmas time in 2022.

“We had to treat them as if they were a part of our family from the get go,” Kantor said. “They’re coming with really bad circumstances. They’re taken out of their home. They don’t know what is going on. They’re young. It’s a patience that has to be applied.”

And a lot of love. The Kantors are spreading love not just to their son Carson, but to others who haven’t felt it in a long time. They’ve opened up their home to those who need a safe haven.

“I love them, and watching them smile is the biggest thing,” Mindy said.

Wiregrass Ranch are undefeated this season. They’ve won a lot with Coach Kantor at the helm, but these days, Friday nights are bigger than the game for the Kantors.

“Our home has grown and it’s exciting to be able to do something like that,” Kantor said. “Another way to give back to the community. So it’s a fantastic thing.”