Mooney soccer coach resigns

Lenny Krispinsky's 2003 team won a state title.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Lenny Krispinsky didn't become involved in soccer until his first child began playing the game in the early 1980s.
But in the more than 20 years he has spent as a soccer coach, organizer and referee, he has achieved major accomplishments in the sport.
For example, Krispinsky helped to develop a youth league than now has more than 2,000 players.
And he coached the Mooney High boys soccer team for the past 15 years (1991-2005), leading the Cardinals to the state title in 2003.
At Mooney, he enjoyed the distinction of developing and guiding Kiki Willis, who is considered the top high school player to come out of this area.
Now Krispinsky is calling it quits as the Mooney coach, ending a 16-year coaching career there (he was the assistant girls coach in 1990).
Time for a change
"I just am at the point in my life that I want to spend some time with my family," said Krispinsky, who also is owner of the Jock Stop, a retail sporting goods store with outlets in Boardman and North Canton.
"We are going to be expanding my business and I want to spend some time doing that. I didn't realize how much work there was to building a business."
Krispinsky, a graduate of Mooney and Kent State, said that the highlights of his career as the Mooney boys coach was "winning the state title in 2003. It was something that I was really proud of. It was a special group of kids.
"Second is having the opportunity to coach a player like Kiki Willis."
Willis, who led Mooney to its state title as a sophomore, won a soccer scholarship to Elon (N.C.) University and recently completed his freshman year.
Son got him involved
Krispinsky said he got involved in soccer "when my oldest son [Todd] was 4 years. He started playing and that's what got me interested."
It led to the success of the youth league that he started and that still is going strong after more than 20 years.
"In 1983 I had started a youth league for grade school kids and got started with 64 kids," said Krispinsky.
"Now we have 2,000 kids and it has been a thrill to see it. They are kids from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties and they play at Boardman field."
He said that Paul Christoferson, who originated the Ursuline boys soccer program and was coach of the team, helped him to start the youth league.
Krispinsky also credited Larry Lencyk, Greg Smith and Carl Roach with helping him launch the league.
"I just referee there [now]," he pointed out.
Played rugby in college
While at Kent State, Krispinsky said he "played [club] rugby in college for two years. I didn't know anything about soccer."
He said the only reason he played rugby was because he was a graphic design major, "and all the graphic design majors played rugby. I weighed 129 pounds and I have the X-rays to prove all of the injuries."
Krispinsky and wife Carmen Mahon, a Chaney High graduate, have three sons.
Todd is marketing director for Great Lakes Theater Company in Cleveland.
Chad is a sports broadcaster who serves as the sports anchor for Channel 27 and broadcasts for WTAM radio in Cleveland while also teaching at Youngstown State.
Ryan is in the U.S. Marines and recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq and is stationed in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
kovach@vindy.com