High school soccer: Elyria Catholic hires boys, girls coaches

Elyria Catholic soccer will have a new look in the 2026 season. The Panthers recently hired a pair of new coaches to lead their boys and girls teams. Former longtime North Royalton girls assistant coach Francesco DeAngelis will take over boys program while Jason Brunner, who was an assistant coach on the Elyria Catholic girls staff the last three years will step up into the had coaching role. Brunner will replace Jose Perez, who left Elyria Catholic after three seasons to take the job at Highland. "It meant a lot to me to be able to stay with the team. I believe in them and I think it's really exciting what we've been building here," Brunner said. "I appreciate Elyria Catholic having the faith in me to allow me to continue to work with this team.The girls finished 10-6-2 last year, including a sectional tournament win over Brookside. "We have to try to be a better version of ourselves every day to achieve the goals we want," Brunner said. "We want to be a team that when teams look at the schedule they say, 'Man, this is going to be a tough one.'"Like DeAngelis, Brunner will be a head coach for the first time at the high school level. "It will make it smoother because I already have the rapport with the girls and I have been working with them. We know our strengths and also what we have to work on," Brunner said. "I bring energy and positivity. I really like to teach this game and I try to build up my players to play with confidence and believe in themselves.I want to give them the skills to succeed in the game and also in school and in life."DeAngelis, who grew up in Parma and played on the first Valley Forge soccer team in 1993, is taking over a team that was coached by Paul Nicol in the 2025 season. The Panthers finished 4-12-2 but did manage a postseason win at home against Benedictine. "I was looking for another coaching gig for the fact that the girls I've been coaching for the past 10 to 12 years are all graduating and moving on to college," DeAngelis said. "So I was ready for the next challenge."DeAngelis had a chance to meet his new team earlier this week and is excited to get started on building the Panthers back to the elite status they held in the not-so-distant past. "Met with the boys on Monday. They look like a very good group of young men. I look forward to working with them. I'm glad that it's a younger team," DeAngelis said. "I'm really really excited for working with these boys and putting a good product on the pitch," One expectation that DeAngelis will have for the Panthers is that play together as a team. "You don't need superstars to win in this game. This is the ultimate team game at the end of the day," DeAngelis said. "Your center forwards are only as good as your midfielders and your midfielders are only as good as your defenders."For Brunner the new season can't get here fast enough. "I wish it was today. I cannot wait," Brunner said. "I love working with this bunch and they really work hard. When you can put in the work with a great group of girls and you're still able to have fun it's a great environment. I would start (the season) right now if we could."Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.