Time to consider the coach of the year candidates. I’ve listed 4 coaches in my poll and for the most part it is the usual suspects.
John Bodner (GI) Coach Bodner has led the Islanders to a respectable season this year after going winless for two seasons.
Jack Giarmo (SMCC) Coach Giarmo had a lot of talent coming back but to his credit his kids have put themselves in the drivers seat for the league title.
Eric Redmond (A) Coach Redmond lost some key players from last year’s team but the Jets have had a solid season.
Steve Robb (M) Coach Robb rebuilt his Big Reds after massive graduation losses and will find themselves in the playoffs again.
Airport has the best “overall” talent in the league therefore Giarmo is top dog, he out coached Remond and got his players ready to beat a superior team. He deserves coach of the year, AT This Moment. If Jefferson pulls off a win tonight and a win next weekend to get into the playoffs, you have to look at Cisco.
coach Robb deserves it the most because what he did with this Milan team. Milan was supposed to go 3 and 4 and that was probably likely but coach Robb took that teem and gave it an opportunity to win the league and put them in the playoffs. Airport and SMCC did what they did with great talent. Milan did what they did with average talent. that is the mark of good coaching making a bad team good just look how much Milan has improved over the season.
I can't believe that 10/15 9:43pm (Craig M) is not only making a case for Bodner but also Stergalis! He should have his posting privelages revoked. If you want give Bodner "most improved" but not Coach of the Year. And Stergalis, are you kidding me? Yes, there is a difference in the points for and against but you are not taking into account that Riverview swapped out a Wyandotte team that went 8-1 and 3 rds deep in the playoffs for a currently 3-4 Crestwood team. Not to mention, they probably have the best talent backing up to each other in Jr/Sr classes that they have had in a few years and they are still 1-6 (same as last year). You can't use the "they've been good for years" or "was expected to take the league argument" (referencing why coaches like Giarmo and Redmon don't deserve it) to support a guy w/1 win. If the View had come out and was fighting for a playoff spot this year then I would totally agree w/you but that couldn't be further from the truth. If Central wins tonight, it's not even a debate. Giarmo hands down. If Jefferson knocks the Falcons off again then assuming he wins out, (as much as it pains me to say it) I'd go w/Robb.
cisco, your mind will soon change after jefferson wins tmrw night and clinches playoffs the following weeek watch and seeeee
MARC L CISCO (;
bodner and like 3 of the other current coaches were there for the playoffs
Wasn't GI's program in the playoffs before Bodner took over?
Ok, Coach of the year. Airport has been good for several years. Nothing spectacular there; Smcc was expected to take the league. Nothing there; Huron was supposed to make the playoffs. What happend to the Mighty Cheifs guy; Jefferson has doen NOTHING this year; Milan has had an avergae year. Must beat riverview to get into the playoffs; Flat Rock beat Riverview and Huron. AND?; That leaves us GI and Riverview. GI, 20 game losing streak and won 3 games and could win 5. THAT IS A GOOD JOB; And now to the View and my biased backed up by FACTS opinion. Last year 35.6 point againt per game- this year 22.4. WOW! Points per game 2008 9.8, 2009 15.9. Why in the heck are we not talking about the coached from GI and Riverview? The season is measured in wins and loses, lets look at improvement. So, list all of the coaches in you pole because NONE of them have impressed me with exception of GI and Riverview.
Bodner-Has done alot with a team that came into the year riding a 20-game losing streak but hasn't done enough to solidify his bid for Coach of the Year.
Redman-After his team laid an egg against SMCC, I think that he lost his chance for the honors. He has an experienced team that probably should have won the league.
Giarmo-Has an experienced team and has done exactly what they have set to do this year. He might be the best pick for Coach of the Year.
Robb-Lost alot to graduation. The transformation from Week 2 against Flat Rock to Week 7 against SMCC is incredible. He has to get strong consideration for the coaching job that he and his staff have done this year.
How can I add the other coaches? Riverview has won 1 game, Huron and Jefferson have underachieved, and Flat Rock will end up with 2 league wins after winning 3 last year.
good picks i must say.. Kalbfleisch let that program fall to nothing this year…
i agree with the former center for the Jets, Rusty, it may be a tad early to give out coach of the year…… if the Bears beat SMCC and then win their final to make the playoffs after the mess with their QB, thats a pretty good job coaching. After a wicked loss in the first week to be able to bounce back, play well in the next few and then whip and I mean WHIP a good Airport team, Giarmo gets the nod. other than that the rest is hoe hum, same ol same ol.
There is no way shape or form that cisco will win coach of the year, nor is he deserving of winning it more than the other three or four coaches in the running. You cannot use the loss of players as a reason, even if they beat cc. The fact of the matter is Jefferson is a mid tier huron league team. In my opinion steve robb has done more with his losses from last season than cisco has, so that being said, if i had to pick a winner it would be giarmo.
If you want to do this the right way all 8 coaches should be listed.
redmond totally got outCOACHED by GIARMO..i'm writing in Kalbflesh
None of the above.
Coach Bodner for sure if GI win the last 2…Why:
– After losing 20+ straight, they bounce back with a winning season. (But this is not the main reason… keep reading)
– The islanders still are hamstrung with too many sports and not enough kids, so Coach B overcame huge challenges interanally to get the support he needs. (soccer, golf, tennis, hockey, sailing team, equestrian team, rowing, lacrosse team create alot of distractions for Football on the island…you get the picture!!)
– Team size (both #'s and body size) is typically less than most of the league….see above.
– Found ways to get an offense that had worked well with the talent he had…including the O-Line. (except for foul weather, but that was another discussion previous on this blog)
– Found parent and community support even though GI has the HIGHEST BY FAR "pay to play" charges for athletics in the HL.
Now before everyone jumps all over this, I didn't say GI is in the top 4 status yet and I didn't downplay the very positive aspects of the other teams and coaches. To the contrary, there are surely other great teams and coaches in the Huron League…..
My point here is that GI has "internal obstacles" that prevent generating a perenial top echelon Football team and Coach Bodner has made "STEP LEVEL" improvement in spite of them. So it wasn't just X's and O's, it was taking the program upstream without a the paddle of support needed from GI school administration to address my points above. Thank God for some really dedicated coaches/parents that made a difference, thats why my vote would be for Coach Bonder!
On a seperate note…..
The time is now for GI schools and athletic administration to decide if they have the fortitude to make Football a priority or not, because the money tree has stopped producing funds….
History is not on the islanders side, only the parents and coaches can control their destiny for Football Excellence because GI athletic department success is based on quantity not quality in the eyes of the board, AD and school administration. It's about time the parents, players and coaches had a vote/say in this…and it will be a VERY HARD discussion for sure. Sports are like taxes…once you start one, you'll play hell to get rid of it. BUT NOT ENOUGH $ MEANS TOUGH DECISIONS COMING FOR THE ISLANDERS!
NUFF SAID….SITOFN.
Bodner souldn't even be in this list. After going two seasons without a win he sould not even be in the head coach position. If he worked for me he would of been fired. If he survives this season with two more wins he may have a job next year but he has a long way to go before he name should be in the same list as the other coaches.
I will throw out an intriguing suggestion. If Jefferson finds a way to beat SMCC, it's hard not to give coach of the year to Marc Cisco. After a year with nearly all senior starters and a 5-4 record, I thought it'd be impressive for them to win 3 games. They had nearly no returning starters, a giant controversy with their original starting qb, and have found a way to somehow still be mathematically alive for the playoffs. If Cisco finds a way to overcome all of this and beat SMCC for the 3rd year in a row, I couldn't see anyone else more deserving. If SMCC wins, you have to give it to Giarmo, this is a very hard league to win outright, and there is no arguement against 6-0 in the league. So winner of Friday's game wins the award. Also, give props to Coach Red, 11 straight playoffs is an amazing achievement in any sport that involves actually qualifying for the playoffs.
Coach Red allll the wayyy