Published August 28, 2008 03:43 am - Paying a visit to the variety store...
Alumni report Five of six former area head coaches led their respective teams to victory in their opening games of the 2008 season last week.
A Don McCormack column: Former area coaches off to good starts
DON McCORMACK Star Beacon
Paying a visit to the variety store...
Alumni report
Five of six former area head coaches led their respective teams to victory in their opening games of the 2008 season last week.
It began on Thursday night when former Perry coach Mike Elder led Avon to a last-second 27-24 win at Aurora in a game that was televised on FSN Ohio.
Perhaps the biggest news, though, was former Pymatuning Valley coach Brian Cross leading Olentangy Orange to a 21-20 victory against visiting Elgin in the first game in program history on Friday night.
Former Conneaut coach Jeff Whittaker, who still resides in Ashtabula County, saw his Liberty Leopards bounce back from having the opening kickoff returned for a touchdown to prevail at Brookfield, 55-21. Whittaker has also taken over as athletic director at Liberty.
Another former Conneaut coach, Steve Nolan, and his Troy Trojans defeated visiting Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, 17-14.
Former Madison coach Art Bortnick, led by Ashtabula County native Romel Dismuke, saw his Benedictine Bengals record a 35-14 victory against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin on Friday night at Bedford Stadium.
Dismuke, a former West Junior High standout and a University of Cincinnati recruit, scored four touchdowns, ran for 97 yards on 15 carries and had a key third-quarter interception in the end zone for the Bengals.
Former Riverside coach Matt Jordan was not successful in his debut as head coach at Grove City as his troops dropped a 27-0 verdict to Dublin Scioto.
Among the... 329
What, besides winning their respective first games of the 2008 high school football season, do Geneva, Grand Valley and Perry have in common?
They are three of the 329 Ohio High School Athletic Association teams to win in Week 1.