High school football: Brookside hires Bobby Staudt as head coach

Brookside found the man it believes can take its program to the next level. On Monday, the Cardinals announced that Bobby Staudt will become the school's head coach, pending board approval. Staudt will replace Scott O'Donnell, who resigned after Brookside went 2-8 last year. "I can sense the investment the administration has in the program and all of its athletics, which is extremely important," Staudt said. "In the past, the football program hasn't had the success it would like, but I'm excited to work with everyone in the community to turn it around." Staudt, a 2017 Green High School graduate was a three-sport standout for the Bulldogs, playing football, basketball and baseball. He went on to coach all three sports at his alma mater and also had coaching stops at Jackson and Southeast (Ravenna) High Schools. "I've been lucky to have been at some bigtime football program and some smaller schools as well," Staudt said. "I've been lucky to work for a lot of good head coaches in multiple sports, and I've kinda taken something from each of them." At Brookside, Staudt is taking over a team that only won five games over the past two seasons, but will enter 2026 with one of the deepest and most-talented senior classes in school history, led by 6-foot-5 quarterback Mason Waechter. "I appreciate the previous staff's investment in the program," Staudt said. "I know Scott left it in a much better place than he probably found it. We have a lot more kids than they had when Scott got here." Now Staudt will be tasked with trying to take the team to the next level and compete for a conference title, something that has eluded the Cardinals for over six decades. "It seems like every person i talk to, no one has a clear reason why things have gone the way they have for a long time here. It's my job to figure out what the root cause of that is," Staudt said. Staudt also spent a year as the head boys basketball coach at Rootstown High School. "Coach Staudt brings energy, organization and a clear vision for our program," Brookside athletic director Chris Adkins said in a press release. "He understands how to develop student-athletes and build a culture centered on accountability and growth." Whether it's playing or coaching in the Federal League or at a smaller Division IV school like Brookside, Staudt said the same lessons and principles apply. "The kids are the same," Staudt said. "The kids that care want to be accountable. They all want to be coached and they all care about winning. As a coach, you have to figure out what drives each individual kid." Staudt said he is looking forward to working with the community to strengthen the program all the way down to the youth level, and building a foundation that will lead to sustained success. "I've been lucky enough to be a part of some turnarounds and I can tell you from playing and coaching that there's nothing sweeter than winning when people don't think you can win," Staudt said. "I truly think we can do that here. I don't see any reason we can't turn this around." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.