RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
It started as a simple tease, and then it became something bigger. A lot bigger.
Principal Mark Grossenbacher was working on Wellen Park's weight room. The company building the fitness center was based in Texas and had just finished constructing one in Dallas. So, Grossenbacher jokingly asked for everything to be Texas-sized, and he was granted his wish in more ways than one.
Get discount to watch high school games on NFHS Network
"When you build a high school, you're not building it for the past," Grossenbacher said, who was one of the first teachers at North Port when it opened in 2001. "Why would we build something to look like everyone else? We're building it for the future."
Wellen Park — which is the newest high school in Sarasota County in 25 years — is 325,000 square feet, built on 81 acres, costing more than $200 million. It's the most expensive school in Sarasota County history, and its athletic facilities exemplify that.
The football stadium seats 6,080, while the gym holds 3,446, featuring a luxury suite box in the left corner that boasts a full kitchen. Athletic Director Phu Nguyen believes both capacities are the largest in the district.
Wellen Park's fields have artificial TenCate grass, which is FIFA certified. The Pittsburgh Pirates even made a pit stop and played on it this summer and decided that's what they want for their stadium, according to Grossenbacher. The principal wants Eagles athletes to feel like they're in the big leagues.
All fields have been in use since the first day of school on Monday, August 10. Wellen Park will begin all 28 of its varsity sports this year, as more than 1,000 students entered the school. To start all sports at once, Grossenbacher started hiring the athletic director and filling coaching positions in October 2025.
"They were all wanting to be a part of something great, which is really setting the foundation for the next 50 years at Wellen Park High School," Grossenbacher said. "And having those great men and women and great coaches has made it easy. That was important to me."
Building a team from scratch
Sascha Hyer — who was an assistant coach at Venice — was hired as the football coach, a job Grossenbacher said wasn't going to anyone else. The two have known each other since 2001, after coaching at North Port together.
Hyer said the last year has been full of planning instead of playing, both in the athletic department and as the social studies department chair. But over the last few weeks, Hyer has seen his team on the field.
It's constructed of players from Venice, North Port and Lemon Bay, with a few trickling in from out of state.
Since the spring, Hyer's been teaching the team his "no frills" approach. Hyer wanted a sign that said, "Earned success begins here," in the weight room. Grossenbacher liked it so much that he made it the saying for the entire school. He's focused on building a team that doesn't focus on "swag" or what number they're getting.
"We're a brand new program," Hyer said. "Show us as a staff what you've earned, not what you think you get."
And the head coach practices that statement himself. Hyer knows "he has to earn every little bit," and he isn't expecting his team to go 10-0. Instead, his focus is to help his team play together and make adjustments to build a better foundation for the years to come.
"We just want to make sure that we're doing right by the kids, and coach those kids hard," Hyer said. "They need to know that we love them, and we tell them all the time, at the end of the day we love you. 'Hey, great job,' or 'Hey, it's a horrible job.' We still love you, but we got to get better tomorrow. Every day's a new day."
Laying the foundation
Nguyen already has an idea of what he wants Wellen Park athletics to be in two years.
"I want us to be competitive," Nguyen said, later adding, "I want great kids. I want our coaches to build great men and women."
But for those relationships to form, sports had to start. That's why Grossenbacher started them all at once, even though he had to hire 28 head coaches and help manage 70 volunteer assistants.
"When you look at having your opportunities for students to feel empowered, to feel supported, to feel loved and cared for, that can happen by a mentor, that can happen through a coach, and that can happen through athletics," Grossenbacher said. "Our kids immediately coming on campus, they're going to feel welcome, they're going to feel supportive. It's going to give all of our other students something to feel a sense of pride in."
Heading into football season, Nguyen and Grossenbacher are doing the final steps to deliver what they hope is a "positive package." They're unpacking boxes and figuring out where to put the student section to create the best atmosphere.
It's all to make the first year run smoothly, while also helping Wellen Park become the giant Grossenbacher knows it can be.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Wellen Park goes Texas-sized hoping to become Sarasota athletic powerhouse
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.