2023 Interview with Nate Armella Defensive Coordinator Nate Armella (NY)

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2023 Interview with Nate Armella Defensive Coordinator Nate Armella (NY)

Post by LICKING COUNTY FAN »

Name
Nate Armella

School
Randolph Central School

Position
Defensive Coordinator

Can you give us a brief history of your coaching career? Where you have coached and the position you have held at each stop:
I’ll be entering my 17th year at Randolph as a physical education teacher and football coach. My first six years I was the JV defensive coordinator. At the conclusion of our 2012 season (capped off with our 3rd of 5 State Titles) Pat Slater announced he would retire as head coach. Long-time defensive coordinator Brent Brown became our next head coach and I was moved up to varsity defensive coordinator. My coaching career began as a position coach at various summer football camps. I met Frank Payne (brother of CSP defensive coordinator Chris Payne) during the summer of 2006 and he invited me to come volunteer and be a part of his program at Iroquois High School during the fall of 2006. This was an incredible experience for a young guy looking to get his coaching feet wet and be around the game.

What will you miss most about the class of 2023? .
This was a special group of young men
They were great leaders and role models for our program. After coming off a two-year merger that failed miserably, these guys were tasked with playing young and helping to get our identity back at Randolph. Six of our thirteen seniors started as freshmen. We took our lumps that year but showed a lot of promise playing against some great competition. A lot of these guys got in the weight room, changed their bodies and as a result, were able to have a lot of success in the last two seasons. They will forever be remembered as the group that helped get our identity back. The underclassmen have benefited tremendously from their leadership and guidance.

What were the highs and lows of the 2022 season?
There were a lot of highs, starting with winning our second consecutive Sectional Title and 13th in program history. We were also able to avenge our 2021 loss to OAE in the Far West Regional by beating them this year and getting to the State Semi-Finals. The one low was not being able to take these guys to the Carrier Dome. That was our ultimate goal and we unfortunately fell a game short, losing to a great Tioga team. We got off to a bad start, but these guys did what they were accustomed to doing and battled and fought for 4-Quarters, getting it back to a one-score game, but ultimately running out of time.

Who is the best player you have coached against, and which team did he play for?
Andrew Ogrodowski from Red Jacket (MLB/FB). The kid was an absolute stud on both sides of the ball, defensively in particular. He was big, fast, and physical. We handled Red Jacket in 2013 on our way to our 4th state title. However, in 2014 they gave us all we could handle and he was a thorn in our side the entire game. We were able to go up one score late in the game and win a tightly contested Far West Regional game.

What are your biggest concerns heading into the 2023 season?
I would say the biggest concern heading into the season is experience. Our program numbers look great again, however, there are a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball. The good news is the underclassmen have been working extremely hard in the weight room and are eager to get going.


What did you learn about yourself during the 2022 season that you can use to be a better coach this season?
I think it’s important to self-reflect every year and look for things to improve on. We had a great group of experienced guys in 2022, which allowed us to focus on developing depth at each position, probably more so than we have ever had the opportunity to do. I had a starting corner go down in Week 1 and fortunately, the guy behind him had repped the position enough to know what he was doing. We were able to finish that game and get through Week 2 without really missing a beat. So, I would say just continuing to develop depth at all positions and having the next man up confident and ready to go.

Can you tell us which seniors from last season will be moving on to play college ball and list the colleges too?
Jaiden Huntingon (TE)- Lock Haven University; Xander Hind (RB)- University of Mount Union; Ryan Carpenter (OL)- Buffalo State University

Which offense is the hardest to prepare for? Explain.
Offensive football has really evolved over the last 7-8 years. Most teams are now spreading the field with multiple formations, playing with tempo, and using their quarterbacks in the running game in order to try and expose defenses and get a numbers advantage.

What is the price of a ticket to get into a Randolph home game?
No cost and top-notch concessions!

Which team in 2022 was the toughest to prepare for? Why?
Looking back at last years schedule, I would say teams like CSP, FE, Portville, and Salamanca were the toughest to prepare for. They all have outstanding talent and their schemes/play calling make you defend the whole field. Also, the tempo they play at makes it hard to mimic during practice. I’ve got a lot of respect for these programs and their coaching staff.

What coach or coaches have had the biggest impact on your coaching career?
I’ve been fortunate to have been coached by and coached by some of the best coaches in the game. There’s a long list, but I would have to say my coaches at Jamestown High School, who instilled in me the importance of hard work and taking pride in what you do. My college head coach Lou Tepper (Edinboro University), who continually preached discipline and accountability. Finally, Randolph head coach Brent Brown who took me under his wing as a young coach back in 2007. His guidance helped prepare me to take over the defense in 2013.

What is the best part of being a high school football coach?
The best part to me is the relationships you build over the course of 3-4 years. Being able to watch these guys grow up and mature before your eyes and become outstanding young men. I’m at the point in my career where I have players who have gone through our program, either gone to school or entered the workforce, and some of them are married and have started families. Many of these players still keep in touch and support our program by coming to games, and practices, and some who have joined our coaching staff.


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Re: 2023 Interview with Nate Armella Defensive Coordinator Nate Armella (NY)

Post by VetteMan »

I wonder what Coach Armella is referring too when he said that they had just came off of " a two year merger that had failed miserably? Also, I believe this is the first time that I ever heard of a High School not charging admission to get into a Football Game. I also agree that each and every year, that more and more high school teams are going to some type of spread offense, making the defense have to defend the whole field against multiple formations. Good interview.


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Re: 2023 Interview with Nate Armella Defensive Coordinator Nate Armella (NY)

Post by LICKING COUNTY FAN »

New York for the most part does not charge for high school sports. The NYAAS (Not the correct name) believes it is part of the educational system and treats it as such. I believe Randolph had a co-op back in the years he was speaking of, but I could be mistaken.


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Re: 2023 Interview with Nate Armella Defensive Coordinator Nate Armella (NY)

Post by VetteMan »

LICKING COUNTY FAN wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 6:25 pm New York for the most part does not charge for high school sports. The NYAAS (Not the correct name) believes it is part of the educational system and treats it as such. I believe Randolph had a co-op back in the years he was speaking of, but I could be mistaken.
Thank you. I had never heard of that before,


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Re: 2023 Interview with Nate Armella Defensive Coordinator Nate Armella (NY)

Post by LICKING COUNTY FAN »

I have watched them twice but never at their own field.


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