No secret to Avon's success -- Jared Cecchetti helps

When Avon won three state championships in a span of 25 days in the fall, many wondered how the Eagles did it. Was there something in the water on Detroit Road that allowed them to prevail in boys soccer, volleyball and football? Did Avon attract student-athletes of the caliber no other community even sees? Some may have even questioned if divine intervention was at play. It turns out the answer can be found in one place: the school's weight room. And with one man: coach and physical education teacher Jared Cecchetti, who runs the strength and conditioning program available to all of the school's student-athletes. "We have a strength and conditioning program like many high schools do, but the secret sauce is the person who implements it," football coach Mike Elder said. "Coach Cecchetti is very knowledgeable of all the stuff our kids need to do but along with that knowledge he's also very motivational." When volleyball coach Kara Coffman came to Avon, she worked with Cecchetti to set up a program for her athletes. In three years, the team went from going decades without a district title to bringing home a state championship. "Coach Cecchetti is awesome," Coffman said. "I talk to Coach Cecchetti about what we want to focus on, usually increasing our vertical and getting stronger, and he teaches the girls. Cecchetti builds really strong connections with everybody." Cecchetti, who has been at Avon since 2010, wears many different hats. In addition to running the strength program, he teaches physical education, is the defensive coordinator for the back-to-back state championship football team and is the throwing coach for the track and field teams. "I have a strong philosophy that it's not so much about sport specificity but more about general strength training and movement of athletes," Cecchetti said. "When kids become more efficient in the weight room that's when they start to see the long-term growth." Elder was the assistant principal at Avon High School in 2010 and had a vision of hiring a physical education teacher who could build a strength and training program. After two rounds of interviews didn't yield the right candidate, Elder started working his connections across the state and found Cecchetti, who was a student assistant with the University of Akron football program. "I was specifically looking for someone to come in who had the right personality and skill set to transform Avon athletics, not just football," Elder said. "From the minute I met him I knew he was our guy." Avon student-athletes are able to sign up for a strength and training course, taught by Cecchetti, that allows them to lift during the school day while earning a PE or exercise science credit. Over the years the program has grown from two classes to eight and includes around 400 students. "Every football player takes our class and most other sports all of the kids take the class as well," Cecchetti said. "Seeing kids adapt over years and become more comfortable in their bodies is one of the major things I see that comes from this room. I think this room provides a lot of confidence for our kids." Avon boys basketball coach Mike Fitch, whose team won a district title last year, agrees the Eagles' winning ways start in the weight room. "The training program is the foundation of the success. That's why you're seeing all of this. What they and we have put together is amazing," Fitch said. "That's the reason why we're winning and every program is successful." Cecchetti grew up in Pennsylvania and went to Kane High School, where his father was a longtime coach and inspired his passion for coaching and helping students. "One of the reasons why I got into teaching was to become a coach. My father made an impact on so many lives," Cecchetti said. "Sports is an extension of the classroom and Avon understands that. I am super blessed and super excited for where we're at. We're second to none in the state of Ohio when it comes to opportunities for our students. "What I enjoy the most is seeing the growth a young person has from freshman year to their senior year. Watching individuals grow up to be mature, self-reliant and take a deep dive into the why behind things." Eagles boys soccer coach Chris Dore has been at Avon for 19 years but only recently has his team incorporated more weight training into the practice regimen. The results have been impressive, including becoming the first Lorain County team to win a state soccer title. "Our soccer program really hadn't taken advantage of the weight training as a team that often in years past," Dore said "It's really become a focal point for us in the past two or three years. "Coach Cecchetti is a great leader, he takes a lot of pride in making our team stronger. I think physical strength leads to confidence and mental strength as well. And the resources in our community are phenomenal. The weight room rivals a lot of college weight rooms." Cecchetti sees what teams do in the weight room as a precursor to success on the practice field and eventually on gameday. "The weight room is the basis of any good program," Cecchetti said. "To be good you have to have a foundation of general speed and general strength. I think our program does a really nice job of getting our athletes comfortable in the weight room and to understand how their body moves correctly." No matter how many shiny pieces of equipment Avon's student-athletes have at their disposal or how many training programs Cecchetti creates for each sport, it still takes good people to build lasting success, and Cecchetti thinks that's where Avon may have the ultimate edge. "We have people here who are constantly trying to get better and you don't see that at a lot of other places," Cecchetti said. "There's a lot of people here who don't get comfortable and don't get complacent. If you're always growing, you're always going to push that envelope. "Working in Avon has been ultra satisfying. Avon is a great place and there are so many pieces and parts that have to fall in line and people who are willing to go the extra mile for extra-curricular activities for our kids. I am just super proud of the work that has been done in this area." For Elder, one of the biggest things Cecchetti brings to Avon is his care for the student-athletes. "He's a genuine person who cares about kids," Elder said. "Kids know he cares about them not just as athletes but as people. If you listen to kids and they know you care, they are willing to do whatever for you." No one knows exactly what Avon's athletic programs would look like with without Cecchetti and the strength and training program, and none of the coaches is eager to find out. "It's hard to say what we would or would not accomplish without programs like this, but I think it's safe to say it helps us reach new levels of strength and athleticism," Dore said. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.