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Family ties run deep at Mooney camp
Family ties run deep
at Mooney event
By Brian Dzenis
YOUNGSTOWN
Cardinal Mooney’s Football Camp of Champions was a family reunion with some gridrion fundamentals attached.
The second day of the Catholic high school’s two-day camp offered many different meetings of the minds.
Three of the four of the Stoops coaching brothers Bob, Mark and Ron Stoops were in attendance. Former Mooney players Courtney Love and Marcus McWilson met with their former high school coach in P.J. Fecko and in Love’s case, both of his college coaches in Youngstown State football coach Bo Pelini and Mark Stoops, who is the head football coach at Kentucky. Pelini, Mark Stoops and Kentucky assistant Vince Marrow were also teammates at Mooney.
All of them came together teach a love of the game kids in grades 3 through 8.
“We love being together. It’s always great getting back to Youngstown,” Mark Stoops said. “It’s special when all of the family is here. It’s been a great weekend so far.”
Outside of Pelini, who had the majority of his staff at Don Bucci Field, the youngest Stoops brother had a sizable contingent in royal blue with Marrow, his associate head coach, his director of operations Frank Buffano — a Mooney graduate — and former players McWilson and Love. The Wildcats have built up a footprint in Ohio during Stoops’ six years in Lexington.
“It was a natural connection right away. It started in year one when we signed [McWilson} and then recruited Love. We lost him [to then-coach Pelini at] Nebraska, but he transferred to us,” Stoops said. “We’ve been fortunate to have [Valley Christian’s] Tymere DuBose. We have [Warren Harding’s] Lynn Bowden and we’re really excited about him coming into his junior year.”
Marrow said it was the connections from his and Stoops’ last names that opened the door to recruiting in the Mahoning Valley. Yesteryear’s high school teammates and opponents are today’s high school coaches. Bowden, a wide receiver, is an example of those connections paying off. He tied the school record for receptions with 67 for 745 yards and five touchdowns for the 10-2 Wildcats in 2018.
“For Bowden, his coaches Kevin Cylar and Steve Arnold wanted him some place where they had some familiarity and they knew we were there,” Marrow said. “Personally, I think he won three games for us last year.”
Recalling their own high school days, Marrow and Pelini both agreed that they looked to Stoops as their leader with they suited up for the Cardinals.
“It was a good time. He was a year older than me and man, we played with and against each other since I was in fourth grade. My brother Vince and [Bob Stoops] also played together and we’d sit in the stands,” Pelini said. “Our families are basically interlocked and there’s been so many relationships at Mooney and there’s many big families that had multiple kids go through the school. That’s what made it pretty special.”
Marrow, who previously worked under Pelini at Nebraska, is the youngest of the three and said Pelini showed leadership potential as well and the intensity needed to eventually be an Ohio State-caliber football player.
“Without saying too much, he can be a fierce competitor. Mark could be over the top too, but it depends on the situation. Mark was mature for his age, but Bo was a really fierce competitor,” Marrow said. “He’d go play in the city of Youngstown as the only white guy in the basketball court, but people fell in love with him after one day on the playground. Bo and Mark are just good dudes, man.”
The coach Marrow had the most praise for on Friday was for his brother, East head coach Brian Marrow after he lead the Golden Bears to their first playoff appearance in 20 years.
“What my brother did at East was like what Mark did at Kentucky. Kentucky used to be at the bottom of the SEC. Brian dealt with the off-field stuff and got those guys rallied to go,” Marrow said. “When I found out they beat Canfield, I said it was like a miracle. When you look at what’s stacked against them, Brian is a really good coach and he’s loyal.
“People don’t know this, but some schools came after Brian to be a head coach of their programs,” Marrow said. “Brian is different than me — we were both brought up on faith — he walks it. People trust him. If I had to start a high school program from the bottom, he’d be my guy.”