Westlake board takes two votes
to name new football coach
By Kevin Kelley
Sports
Published July 20, 2005

Click here for an archive of West Life Sports Editor Zachary Dzurick's "Red Right 88" weekly columns.

It took two votes, but the Westlake Board of Education hired a new head football coach at a special meeting Monday evening.

East Liverpool head coach Robert Thayer was recommended to the board over Westlake defensive coordinator Mark Ohradzansky. Thayer is the all-time winningest football coach in East Liverpool Potter history. He has had eight winning seasons in his 10 years as head coach.

Before the first vote, board member Joe O'Malley questioned Superintendent James Costanza about hiring an outside person just weeks before the season begins. Costanza acknowledged it would be more difficult for a new person to take over on such short notice, but said hiring Thayer was best for the program in the long run.

"He understands what it takes to be successful," Costanza said.

In the first vote, Board President Renee Wargo and Vice President Andrea Rocco voted for Costanza's recommendation to hire Thayer. But O'Malley and Tom Smanik voted no. When Smanik, the last to vote, said no, Costanza appeared shocked. With the vote tied 2-2, the motion died.

Board member David Beal was not present for the vote but arrived later as the board broke into executive session to discus real estate matters.

After the 40-minute executive session, assistant football coach Dan Del Monte asked to address the board. With emotion, he asked the members to reconsider Costanza's recommendation to hire Thayer over Ohradzansky.

"You may destroy five years of what we have put into this program," Del Monte said. "If you bring in a new head coach, you may lose the staff -- the entire staff."

Del Monte said it would be nearly impossible for the players to learn a new offensive system in just a few weeks. During previous coach Ron Johnson's tenure, Westlake was one of the few public high schools to have players only play one way- just offense or defense.

Del Monte added the players, the coaching staff and community all strongly supported making Ohradzansky the head coach.

OHSAA rules state the first offical practice can't begin until August 8 for schools that begin after August 22. Westlake High's first day is August 24. Westlake opens the regular season August 26 at North Ridgeville.

A second vote was taken, with Beal joining Wargo and Rocco in approving the hiring of Thayer. O'Malley voted no and Smanik abstained from the second vote.

Thayer will also work for the district in their vocational program.

About a half dozen Westlake football players attended the meeting but did not speak publicly.

Johnson, who also taught at the school, resigned after four seasons at the helm of the football program. His teams improved from a 2-8 record the first year to 6-4 the last two years. He accepted the head coaching job at Middleton High School, which is closer to his family and where he was an assistant at Miami University in Oxford for 10 years.

(Zachary Dzurick contributed to this article.)