Jeff Bayuk has a long coaching history in the Mahoning Valley, serving as head coach at Canfield for five years, Hubbard for 16 years and Campbell for three years. Since leaving Campbell after the 2009 season, he was an assistant coach at Howland for two years and at Warren Harding for one before sitting out the 2013 season.

He is back on the sideline in 2014 as head coach of the Warren JFK Eagles.

Q. What is the appeal of being head coach over being an assistant, which seems to have similar positive aspects minus the pressure, the media and fan scrutiny, etc.?

A. I don’t think there’s one thing that would answer that question but one of the most important is that even though you have the opportunity to coach when you are an assistant, you don’t get to do it your way. After being a head coach for 20 some years I’ve gotten used to doing things the way I wanted them done. So I figured if I get back in I should probably get back on my terms and do things the way I think they should be done.

Another reason is I kind of have a history of going to places that need help. The three programs I previously coached were in disarray when I arrived and though JFK is not in total disarray, they had a rough season last year and their numbers were dwindling. They needed help and that’s what I do. I think I just kind of really have enjoyed, in a selfish way, helping kids work through tough times and coming out on the other side. At Campbell we got to the playoffs and we turned things around at Hubbard and it’s gratifying to see kids enjoy themselves after working through tough times.

Q. How has your team progressed from offseason weight training to now?

A. The first thing we did was tear apart the weight room. We did $100,000 worth of renovation to the weight room to get it to where we need it to be. We missed some lifting in that process but the kids have worked really hard. The thing is, though, you don’t get strong in six months, especially when you’re young.

As far as progress, we are in transition. We are installing a whole new defense and 50 percent of our offense is new. We are trying to cultivate a new attitude of how to play the game. We want to do it in a more physical way. In order to do that we need to understand what has to be done in the offseason. The transition is a challenge for the kids but JFK has a great tradition and has had some great teams. We are going to come in and do it the way we know how with a very aggressive, tenacious defense. We are working hard at that but are nowhere near where we need to be. We want to be able to run downhill and play smash-mouth on offense. In the meantime we have to be flexible enough to do what we can do with what we have. The kids we are coaching are all in, they are working very hard and their will to succeed is unmatched.

Q. Have you used JFK’s tradition in your approach to the kids and do they understand that tradition?

A. They understood the JFK tradition long before I got here. They’ve had great coaches and a great program and we understand that we represent just a small part of that. We are just trying to get the kids to understand how we want to do it. We respect all that tradition and we are not changing things because we think what was done before was wrong. We want to do what is right for the program.

Q. How would you characterize the first week loss to South Range? A disappointment? Something expected?

A. Whenever you lose a game you are disappointed but I wasn’t surprised by the outcome to be honest. We are still only 50 percent into the playbook on both sides. When you are playing a team that has a great program like a South Range, you not only play to beat that team but to also beat the program. We need to establish our program like that from the ground up, starting with the junior high program.

Q. What players have to play well in order for your team to be successful?

A. I think any coach would name their quarterback as important to success and we can rely on Michael Roscoe, a four-year letterwinner and a great leader on and off the field. We also have a lot of confidence in Royal Smith, one of our captains, and we think Jacob Coates, though only a sophomore, is a special talent at wide receiver and defensive back. Jim Misocky is one of our captains and our center and Dante Munno is another captain at running back and outside linebacker. Those are some of the guys we’re looking to not only playing on Friday and Saturday but also for their leadership.

— Doug Chapin