Q&A: Up close with...Matt Altomare

While serving eight years as the defensive coordinator under his dad, Artie, Leetonia football coach Matt Altomare found himself dealing with his very own Brett Favre-like situation.

“It was like every year was his last year,” said Matt. “He’d say he was ready to step aside, then he’d change his mind. I knew I would take things over at some point, but I just didn’t know when. But with the good record he’s had here at Leetonia, I think he had the right to step away when he wanted to.”

The time finally came in 2007, when the new “Coach Altomare” accepted the head coaching job and faced the task of taking over for a legend. Matt has made the most of his opportunity, guiding the Bears to playoff berths in each of his two seasons at the helm.

“I was a little worried about replacing my Dad after him being here for almost 30 years,” he admitted. “But it’s been a good transition and I’m starting to establish my own identity. It helps that most of the kids have had me in class now and they’ve gotten to know me as Coach Altomare.”

Q. Who is Leetonia’s biggest rival – Columbiana or Lisbon?

A. It kind of goes in cycles, but I’d say right now it’s Columbiana, because the trophy has gone back and forth. They beat us in 2007 and we got them last year, so we have that competition there right now. With Lisbon, we have the Spaghetti Bowl trophy and we’ve beaten them a few in a row. With both those rivals, you never know how things will be. Something could happen at Burger King the night before the game and that might lead to a more intense rivalry — it’s that competitive. But we always want to win both those games.

Q. What do you think is the biggest challenge a small school like Leetonia faces?

A. I think every coach can deal with the X’s and O’s, but for a small school like us, the biggest issue is making sure we keep the program numbers up. Fortunately at Leetonia, we usually have good numbers. But sometimes it’s a challenge to always have that 6-4, 220-pound quarterback or that 230-pound fullback. We have high expectations here, so it’s tough in a school that graduates about 50 in a year to put a good product on the field every year.

Q. How has the failure of the Leetonia Exempted Schools levy affected the football program and what effects might it have in the future if it doesn’t pass?

A. Well, we’ve already instituted the “pay to play” system — and actually we’re the only school in Columbiana County to have that in place. That puts us a little bit of a disadvantage. It’s really a shame because people that are already being taxed are being asked to pay more taxes. And from the kids’ standpoint, it’s a shame that a levy may determine whether they can play football in their senior year. There’s only so much money to go around, so hopefully the levy will pass sooner or later.

Q. What is your view on competing in the Inter-Tri County League now, instead of the former Tri-County League?

A. I think it’s been a good transition and we’ve been able to develop some good friendly rivalries with schools our size. In the TCL, it was mostly a Columbiana County league, so the travel was shorter. But I think the ITCL is a good league for not just football, but in the other sports, too. It’s been a positive for everyone.

Q. Do you have any superstitions when it comes to games or coaching in general?

A. I used to be pretty superstitious. I’d eat the same thing before games and wear the same clothes without washing them if we won the week before. Last year, we won our first five games, so I wore the same clothes for five weeks. But now I’m in my third month of marriage and I’ve already been told that isn’t going to fly anymore. So I might have to develop some kind of new superstition that doesn’t involve dirty clothes.

XInterview conducted by Vindicator correspondent Eric Hamilton.