CUYAHOGA FALLS: In just one year as an expanded, revamped conference, the Suburban League has established a reputation to envy.
That was a theme echoed repeatedly at the league’s second annual Football Media Day at the Natatorium Thursday.
“When somebody mentions the Suburban League, people already knows who’s in it,” said Cuyahoga Falls High School Athletic Director Tom DiFrancesco, welcoming coaches, players and administrators from all 15 teams. “It’s a tremendous league.”
Six of those teams earned their way into the Ohio state playoffs last fall, and optimism reigns for at least equalling that success this coming season as official practices begin Monday.
Stow reached the Division I semifinals and Hudson made it to the Division II semis as members of the National Conference, which features larger enrollment schools including Nordonia — also a state qualifier — along with Brecksville, Cuyahoga Falls, North Royalton and Twinsburg.
Copley, Aurora and Highland were in the playoffs and are members of the smaller enrollment American Conference, as are Revere, Tallmadge, Barberton and Kent Roosevelt.
“As certain people get better, it’s making all of us better,” Nordonia coach Jeff Fox said. “There’s great coaches in this league that we learn from. And now a year in, we’re starting to develop some rivalries but it’s with a lot of respect and you can tell the coaches get along. There’s some great guys to coach in the same fraternity.”
Jeff Gough, an assistant coach for 10 years at Hudson, is now the interim head coach. He replaces Ron Wright, who will take this year off because of personal and family health concerns and commitments. He is expected to return in 2017.
“If we want to be the best we have to compete and be around the best,” Gough said. “Looking at the Suburban League and the coaches and the success everybody here has had, we need to put our kids in a position where they compete with well-coached, competitive, hard-working kids and that’s what every team here has.”
Highland coach Mike Gibbons, starting his second year at the school, said it is a “challenge week in and week out.”
“You truly have to be at your best,” he said. “It’s a message I tell our team every day. ‘If you’re not at your best, you’re going to lose. But at the same time, if we’re at our best, we feel we have a good chance.’”
Kent Roosevelt coach Tim King said the numbers favor his team, if for no other reason because this year ends in a “6.”
Of 24 league championships at the school, seven have occurred in every year ending in 6 except one since 1936, including 2006 when they made the state playoffs for the first time.
“Our goals are high and you guys know we’re coming for that,” King said.
Barberton’s Tony Gotto and Twinsburg’s Mike Bell are starting their second years at those schools. Copley’s Scott Chouinard, Revere’s Mike Murphey, Brecksville’s Jason Black, Cuyahoga Falls’ Sean Flaherty and Stow’s Mike Nori are veteran SL coaches, along with Aurora’s Bob Mihalik and North Royalton’s Nick Ciulli.
Wadsworth’s Justin Todd and Tallmadge’s Alan Vanderink are both in their first seasons as head coach.
“The cool thing about working at Tallmadge is that all the administrators are former coaches or coaches presently,” said Vanderink, who was an assistant at Copley. “They’re going to help me with the transition and I thank them for all the support they’ve given me.”
Todd has been a head coach at Mount Vernon and Loudonville and said the tradition at Wadsworth attracted him to the job.
“I feel a great sense of responsibility to not only just carry on but to try to build upon that,” Todd said.
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