By Colin Harris
Record-Courier staff writer
MANTUA — As a coach at Twinsburg, Chris Kosiorek still remembers a trip he made to Crestwood.
“In 2001, (Twinsburg) actually made the trip to play Crestwood in basketball and I remember being impressed by what I saw,” said Kosiorek. “Their kids and the support they had there were impressive and I thought that, if I ever had the opportunity, I’d love to coach there.”
Kosiorek will get that opportunity, as he brings a very successful resume to Crestwood as the program’s new head football coach.
A long-time defensive coordinator at Twinsburg, Kosiorek’s most recent stop was at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) High School, where he coached the program to a 25-10 record and three playoff wins in three seasons. His best season was 2008, when the Indians set the school’s single-season record for wins (12-1), won the Ohio Heritage Conference and advanced to the Division VI, Region 24 Final.
Kosiorek, 41, has also spent time as an assistant at Cleveland Benedictine, where he helped coach the program to a 1996 state championship.
A native of Youngstown, Kosiorek graduated from Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, where he was a standout on the gridiron. Kosiorek went on to play collegiately for Bowling Green before beginning his coaching career.
So how does a person with such deep ties in Northeast Ohio find his way to Pennsylvania? According to Kosiorek, that’s where the jobs were.
“When the job at Mechanicsburg opened up, I didn’t really know anything about it,” said Kosiorek. “But it was an opportunity to become a head coach. The school has a great football tradition, and being from a school like Mooney with its own history, (going to Mechanicsburg) was a chance to be around the kind of program that loves football.”
Although he’s been extremely successful at Mechanicsburg, family ties were as important as a new opportunity when Kosiorek pursued the Crestwood opening.
“We have a baby girl, and (being at Crestwood) will be a nice opportunity for my family to watch her grow up,” said Kosiorek.
According to Crestwood superintendent Joe Iacano, Kosiorek’s stellar reputation proved to be a major factor in the decision-making process.
“(Chris) Kosiorek was selected from nearly 50 applicants,” said Iacano. “It was a very high quality pool of candidates, including numerous individuals with head coaching experience. In addition to his local ties and his top-flight football record, we were pleased that Chris received excellent references as a math teacher.
“Chris impressed us as a motivator who is very capable of attracting students to the football program through his contagious enthusiasm,” said Iacano. “We look forward to working with Chris as both a football coach and as a classroom teacher.”
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Contact Colin Harris at charris@recordpub.com or 330-298-1123