Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Russ Jennings takes over the Waite football program this fall after guiding the wrestling program to five league titles over the past nine years.
“Wrestling and football go hand in hand with the footwork, especially with your offensive and defensive lines — same thing with tackling and double leg takedowns,” he said. “Don’t get it mistaken that I’m a big wrestling guy because I'm not. I was always a football guy. I kind of got talked into the wrestling thing, and I fell in love with being the wrestling coach. I’ve got kids that wrestle, but I'm a football guy.”
Jennings said that when he originally came to Waite, his dream was to coach the football team. He has coached at the junior high, the fifth grade and sixth grade levels, as well as travel football. He also coached at Beverly.
Now, after getting passed over previously, the 1996 Waite graduate said he was fortunate enough to get the job this time.
“I grew up loving Waite football, literally,” he said. “I grew up on 3rd and Oak Street in East Toledo. I'm a Perrysburg resident now, but I grew up on 3rd and Oak Street in the 80s. You could see the lights from my house. You could hear the band playing from my house, and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to go to a football game there. I fell in love with it right away.”
Coming off a 1-9 season, Jennings said his team’s speed will be a huge part of their potential success as he looks to instill discipline on the field.
“I think discipline is going to be our number one thing,” Jennings said. “We're going to put a very competitive product on the field.”
With a team that lost only a few seniors, and a team that features six seniors this year, Jennings will look to several key players such as running back/defensive lineman DeAndre Burks, running back/linebacker Takhi Myers, and wide receiver/defensive back Chris Yglesias.
“DeAndre is going to play a huge role in how our season goes,” Jennings said. “Takhi is a really good kid, and Chris brings a ton of energy to the field.”
One of the team’s biggest speed threats is Day Day Holman, a wide receiver.
“You wouldn’t believe the speed that this kid has,” Jennings said. “We’re going to try to utilize him and his speed as best as we can.”
Similar to Burks, Jennings said another key to his team’s success will be senior defensive end Terron Belle, and sophomore Carl Ford will bring added toughness.
Junior Damien Harrington, who made the No. 1 play on an edition of Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays with a one-handed interception last year, is also back. His younger brother, Zachary, is also another to keep an eye on.
“There is a lot of talent there, and I really believe if we can play some disciplined football, we're going to be very competitive this year,” Jennings said.
Since being hired in the spring, Jennings said the transition has gone well as he looks to add depth in numbers to his roster over time.
“It's going really good,” he said. “The numbers could be better, but the kids that are showing up are open to the new staff and a lot of the kids know that I'm very strict on discipline, so the kids that are there are wanting to be there and wanting to learn the new system. We’re also implementing a new offense and a new defense, which is tough, so there's going to be some learning curves.”
Waite opens the 2025 season Aug. 22 at home against St. Francis, and Jennings expects his team to play “hard-nosed, East Side football” this season.
“To be realistic, my goal this year as the incoming head coach is to keep my team healthy, (while having them) learn the system and play disciplined football,” he said. “Those are my expectations. As far as wins and losses go, if we do those things, everything else will take care of itself.”
