Vitallo tabbed as new Waynedale football coach

Jay Vitallo is coming home to Waynedale.

The Golden Bears have tabbed the 35-year-old Vitallo as the school’s new varsity football coach, pending board approval.

Vitallo became a valued member of the Wooster community as a varsity football assistant and youth wrestling coach during the last five years, but the opportunity to return to his alma mater was one he’s literally dreamt about.

“I put my heart and soul into coaching at Wooster, but I had a dream during the season about coaching at Waynedale,” Vitallo said. “I thought, ‘That’s weird that I’m starting to think about Waynedale.’

“A couple months later, (Jesse Kanter) resigned (as Waynedale football coach). I applied and went through the process, and I’m waiting until the board meeting Feb. 9 for it to be official. The goal when I left Waynedale was always to eventually come back as the head football coach.”

Since word has gotten out about Vitallo returning to lead his alma mater, the 2009 Waynedale graduate said he’s heard from dozens of former classmates and community members wishing him luck and pledging their support.

“I've had a ton of people reach out from the community including lots who have kids in the program,” said Vitallo, who also will be an intervention specialist teacher at Waynedale Middle School. “They're all in. The community wants it too. They want it to be different.”

Waynedale compiled a 2-8 record last season as Kanter had a roster made up of primarily underclassmen. The Bears will return lots of experienced players including standouts in quarterback Maddox Kidd and wide receiver Micah Raber.

“I had the opportunity on Monday to go to Waynedale and meet the team,” Vitallo said. “It was surreal. I was starting to address them, and I'm just looking around the room, and I was starting to get choked up a little bit. I had seen a lot of the kids (six) years ago when they were little and hanging around the program when I was coaching under Louie (Stanley). Some of them had older brothers that I coached. And, of course, I remembered playing here. It was like a full-circle moment for me.

"I've been coaching football for 10 years now, and the hard work finally paid off, and I'm home.”

Erich Riebe and Rick Geiser are working as co-athletic directors at Waynedale this year.

“I always want to bring back alumni to teach and coach if we can,” said Riebe, who’s also the director of operations for Waynedale and Rittman. “We're getting the best of both worlds with Jay. He's an excellent coach, but he takes even more pride in his teaching.”

Riebe said it will be a big plus to have the head football coach in the building and around middle school and high school students.

Vitallo was a starting outside linebacker and backup running back on Waynedale’s 2007 football team, which went 9-3 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs under Matt Zuercher. He also was a state qualifier in wrestling.

After high school Vitallo enlisted in the Marines before eventually attending college at Ashland University.

Vitallo and his wife Jessica have three children: Bryson, 10; Brayden, 8; and Briella, 3.

“It's going to be different and difficult to leave the relationships behind that I built in Wooster,” Vitallo said. “I believe that the football program is in good hands. The youth wrestling program is really humming. The kids just finished second at sectionals and scored the most points in Wooster youth history.”

With his attention now turned to Waynedale football, Vitallo can’t wait to get started.

“I'm inheriting a pretty young roster,” he said. “There were a lot of sophomores and freshmen playing varsity last year. I think Waynedale might be primed for a turnaround. Honestly, we have a ton of talent across the board. They were just really young the last couple years.

"I feel like it's a community ready for a change and ready for us to finally get everything turned back in the right direction.”