Western reserve discussion

 
Hake 2022 i guess haha. You don't think he makes a Napoleonic like return do ya?
Honestly if I had to speculate this would be it. Not necessarily Hake wanting or involved, but Hake backers on the board who will want him back and think enough time has passed that it he can be brought back. I guess we’ll find out but I doubt this job has the appeal it did when it opened up 2 years ago.
 
Honestly if I had to speculate this would be it. Not necessarily Hake wanting or involved, but Hake backers on the board who will want him back and think enough time has passed that it he can be brought back. I guess we’ll find out but I doubt this job has the appeal it did when it opened up 2 years ago.
spot on. I have it pretty solid that Hake has 0 interest
 
Already ranted about this on the MVAC thread. I’ll say it again. Why would anyone want this job? In 18 months they ran off two up and coming coaches from two good programs in South Range and Salem. Coach Lude was a WR guy and seemed to be building something. We always saw him at every sporting event and youth league events. He went 5-1 in the league with maybe the youngest team in the league and won a playoff game in 2020 for the first time since like 2015. If that’s not good enough for a young up and coming coach who took over the program in shambles after Hake debacle and Rach left, then what is? Again, why would any good coach want this job other than it’s a bad league and they got young talent? I hope to see Coach Lude go for one of these open jobs or return to Salem. He deserved a fair shot and it’s embarrassing.
 
Damon Buente was the OC last year and is in the building. Whoever gets hired, I just hope they do it fast. Kids deserve better.
Damon Buente is a name I have not heard in a long time, he was a teammate of mine when I played football for Canfield. He was the SS and I was the FS. His brother used to be a very active poster on JJ Huddle back in the early days in the 90's and the early 2000's. He is a good guy, I think I occasionally have seen him post on Instagram.
 
Damon Buente is a name I have not heard in a long time, he was a teammate of mine when I played football for Canfield. He was the SS and I was the FS. His brother used to be a very active poster on JJ Huddle back in the early days in the 90's and the early 2000's. He is a good guy, I think I occasionally have seen him post on Instagram.
 
Buente is the only solid these kids have had since Hake left. He in the building and gives this program his all. Was OC last year in Ludes 2 season and is the track coach. Wether he has a shot at HC I have no idea what they want.
 
You answered your own question. The kids there will will still make this a good job, but changes need to be made. The Sophomore QB was good, but the freshman also looks like a stud. We could be a QB controversy away from talking about the next head coach leaving a year from now or being “non renewed.” Tim Cooper should be the name to watch for this job, OC at West Branch and brother was the WRs coach last year. John Armeni also makes a lot of sense. Damon Buente was the OC last year and is in the building. Whoever gets hired, I just hope they do it fast. Kids deserve better.
Armeni would be down grading imo
 
One of the more surprising developments over the holiday break. This really feels like a black eye on the school and what felt like a super desirable job 24 months ago now has had all the shine taken off of it. I still imagine they'll get some quality applicants but if this one goes wrong it's going to be slim pickings for the foreseeable future
 
2nd opening in this league. Springfield is on the downturn and McDonald not at its original form, this league will be very interesting the next few years
 
One of the more surprising developments over the holiday break. This really feels like a black eye on the school and what felt like a super desirable job 24 months ago now has had all the shine taken off of it. I still imagine they'll get some quality applicants but if this one goes wrong it's going to be slim pickings for the foreseeable future
Absolutely. When Hake was let go 2 years ago, you are talking about a job where they had gone 8-2 or better 11 of the previous 12 years, seeming stability at coach with a guy that had been there over a decade, huge numbers of participation etc. In just 2 short years, they've had constant drama with coaches (remember last year there had to be a big push to keep Lude on https://www.wytv.com/news/local-new...owd-to-western-reservee-school-board-meeting/) and a large loss of participation- although they are still doing fine for a school their size. If your name isn't Hake, its tough to think you would have any stability taking this job and if you don't win big you will be ousted.
 
2nd opening in this league. Springfield is on the downturn and McDonald not at its original form, this league will be very interesting the next few years
"Springfield is on a downturn"...Right now they have a lot of talent coming back. They are going to be much more balanced this year. Lowellville is going to be loaded with a very good junior and sophomore class becoming one year older. J-M could surprise some teams in 2022. They have about 14 seniors on the team, and they all played a good amount of football in 2021. Moreover, McDonald was young and I would never underestimate Coach Williams and the Blue Devils when it comes to football. They'll be ready.
 
What was the reason for letting Lude go?
What I would pay to get 1 hour in a room with Dave Rach and Jay Lude to know what the heck is going on over here?

Come to Western Reserve where we will cover up inappropriate student/teacher relationships, coaches/teachers smoking weed in the building, teachers drinking on the job, and student athletes being treated like dirt. All you have to do is win and be named Andy Hake. If you’re a bright up and coming coach, from a premiere program like South Range or from our own school, don’t worry, we will run you out of town. What a nightmare.
 
Someone texted me this earlier today
In 18 Months WR has hired
New Baseball Coach
New Softball Coach
New Basketball Coach
New Track Coach
Now hiring new Volleyball Coach
And will be on their 4th football coach…

This is what happens when you let parents make decisions and there is no accountability. I don’t know if I have ever seen anything like it. It is the Wild Wild West and all those programs have had success. Hell the only coach still standing is the girls basket coach Steve Miller and he got ran out as the boys coach years ago. You can’t make this stuff up.
That 18 month window is pretty troublesome. Who's the longest tenured coach they have there now?
 
The administration and BOE of Western Reserve should be ashamed of themselves. In many ways they let Coach Hake run wild. If they had corrected his behavior at many points during his coaching and teaching tenure he might still be there. Now they seem like they are just trying to destroy the football program. Many good coaches who would have considered this an attractive job will no doubt have no interest now. The two young coaches they ran off are both up and coming coaches in the area. I would like to especially call out the administrators in the district who were former head football coaches. They did NOTHING to defend these coaches or help stop the insanity that is going on in WR right now. The same administrators would be outraged if they had been treated this way when they were coaches.
 
Those same people probably were treated that way which makes it even crazier that they would do the same. You give a guy one offseason to build something, they are young across the board, help turn a Wide Receiver into an All State Tailback, and he is gone.

The other thing overlooked and not even mentioned, they got better every single week. In 2020 they go 4-1 down the stretch with a big win over LaBrae, win a playoff game for the first time since like 2014, and lose to Springfield in the playoffs. In 2021 they go 4-1 again down the stretch with a loss to Springfield before losing to Division 5 Rootstown and Springfield in the playoffs again. There has been a lot of talk about what and how he was building the program...the football part was working too. You have a young coach, from there, with a young team, invested in in every sport, during Covid, and with all the other distractions going on, and you don't renew him. They owe the community and every kid on that roster an explanation.
Preach it man. I want to try not to complain anymore, but no promises. I expect Cochran and Buente to get interviews. Who are the names we should be looking for here? I know we joke about Andy Hake, but that’s not happening right???
 
Preach it man. I want to try not to complain anymore, but no promises. I expect Cochran and Buente to get interviews. Who are the names we should be looking for here? I know we joke about Andy Hake, but that’s not happening right???
I will say there is less than a half percent chance Andy Hake ever returns to WR
 
Preach it man. I want to try not to complain anymore, but no promises. I expect Cochran and Buente to get interviews. Who are the names we should be looking for here? I know we joke about Andy Hake, but that’s not happening right???
Cochran? No way
 
This Cochran was defensive coordinator under Hake. Think helped out with Jr high last year at WR. He was bypassed for job last time don't think he is very happy with administration.
 
This Cochran was defensive coordinator under Hake. Think helped out with Jr high last year at WR. He was bypassed for job last time don't think he is very happy with administration.
He coached the Jr. High last year and he definitely has his supporters. If WR was smart and we know they are not, they would hire someone who has no ties or affiliation to anything going on at Western Reserve. The first question people are going to want to know is who will the QB be. Henning was the starter as a Sophomore last year, but the Freshman Ricciardi looked awesome when he got his chance. He’s the best basketball player on the team right now and it’s not close. He’s a better athlete with a bigger arm, but the Henning mom is on the school board. The 3rd QB was a freshman two way starter and his mom is also now on the school board. My guess would be this is not the last of the drama we have seen at WR no matter who they hire. I think more fireworks are on the horizon.
 
He coached the Jr. High last year and he definitely has his supporters. If WR was smart and we know they are not, they would hire someone who has no ties or affiliation to anything going on at Western Reserve. The first question people are going to want to know is who will the QB be. Henning was the starter as a Sophomore last year, but the Freshman Ricciardi looked awesome when he got his chance. He’s the best basketball player on the team right now and it’s not close. He’s a better athlete with a bigger arm, but the Henning mom is on the school board. The 3rd QB was a freshman two way starter and his mom is also now on the school board. My guess would be this is not the last of the drama we have seen at WR no matter who they hire. I think more fireworks are on the horizon.
What a cluster F ck
 
Anyone hear of Powell rumors? I heard his son could be a candidate for this job. Don't know how much experience he has or anything but heard he is a young guy who knows the program really well. Pretty sure he coached under Hake for awhile.
 
Anyone hear of Powell rumors? I heard his son could be a candidate for this job. Don't know how much experience he has or anything but heard he is a young guy who knows the program really well. Pretty sure he coached under Hake for awhile.
Honestly nothing would shock me at this point. I imagine both Powells were not happy Coach Lude let them go. I would think Clegg or Cooper would get a shot before him, but mom was on the board for a long time, dad is in the building, you never know. Their names were all over the rumors of why Rach left and I think the overwhelming thought in the community was happiness they were gone. Maybe they would keep Buente as OC and bring Cochran back as the DC. You would have to think it would be Clegg, Cooper, or Cochran though if they went that route. It’s the dumbest rumor I have ever heard and yet I’m sure there is someone on that board that would be like…that could work. This is a nightmare that we are never waking up from.
 
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