High school football preview: Brunswick's Vincenzo DiTeodoro honors late mother

The emotions of Brunswick kicker/punter Vincenzo DiTeodoro probably will always run the gamut on his birthday. The rock of his family, his mother Angela, died of heart issues on July 30, 2023 at the age of 56. The next day, DiTeodoro turned 16. "It was horrible," the now 18-year-old senior said. "My mom did everything for me, for us. She was always there for me." Angela was born in Italy and moved to the United States when she was young. She and Sam DiTeodoro, who grew up in Cleveland, married and had three children. Like Vincenzo, Olivia, 23, lives at home with her dad and aunt, Marilyn DiTeodoro, while Giuseppe is finishing up at Ohio University. "There was no one else like her," Vincenzo DiTeodoro said of his mother. "She was great, caring, fun. She never asked for anything. She was just always giving." DiTeodoro, who is going through the process of remembering how his mom lived and not how she died, is trying to live his life in a way that would make Angela proud. That includes working two jobs, as a maintenance man at St. Ambrose Catholic School, which he attended and where his mom worked as a substitute teacher after finishing her career in accounting, and at a car wash. A Medina County Career Center student specializing in the electrician field, the 6-foot, 225-pound DiTeodoro's third job is as a punter and kicker for the Brunswick football team, where he was good enough to earn third-team Division I All-Ohio honors and first-team All-Gazette and All-Northeast Inland District accolades as a junior. "That's why I wanted to do good in football," he said of making his mom proud. "I just want to keep doing better and do good in school." DiTeodoro, who carries a 3.5 grade-point average, made 9-of-12 field goals with a long of 45 yards, 18-of-19 extra points and had 29 touchbacks as the Blue Devils went 3-8 overall and 3-3 in the Greater Cleveland Conference last season. He also led Medina County with a 38.1-yard punting average and 10 boots that were downed inside the 20-yard line. A varsity kicker in some capacity since he was a freshman, DiTeodoro has attended a number of Kohl's Professional Camps in addition to college camps at Temple and Western Michigan. Though rankings are extremely subjective, Kohl's puts him 70th in the nation and fifth in Ohio in the class of 2026, with Highland junior Jonah Kowza fifth in the nation and first in the state for the class of 2027. "The majority of his kickoffs are going into the end zone, so it's a phenomenal situation," Brunswick coach Kole Carter said. "Punting is something he really didn't do until last year, but he was really diligent about putting in the work. Some of the stuff he does is phenomenal, and those hidden yards, as we call them, really help. "He's also a phenomenal kid. He never misses a lifting session. You never have to worry about him and the kids love him." DiTeodoro, who grew up playing soccer and can now bench press 295 pounds and squat 465, which puts him among the Blue Devils' strongest players, learned the basics of kicking from his older brother, who played soccer at Brunswick. These days he also works with Noah Rios, a Strongsville resident who kicked for St. Edward High and collegiately at Furman. "I have a lot more experience in kicking vs. punting, but I'm glad I got into punting," he said. "I like for the coaches to be able to count on me to make field goals inside of 45 yards. That can help the team, and that's all I want to do. "I like being in the team setting. I love playing at Brunswick and I want to continue that in college if I can." DiTeodoro, who has made a 57-yard field goal in practice, has yet to receive any scholarship offers, but he's visited D-II Hillsdale and has heard from D-III Baldwin Wallace. If a college kicking opportunity doesn't come about — he's planning on majoring in business if it does — he is leaning toward an apprenticeship in the electrician field. Either route, he is confident, would make his mom proud. "I just remember all the good things she would do for me," DiTeodoro said. "It didn't matter what it was, she was always going to keep me positive." Knowing his mom would want him to be happy, DiTeodoro does his best to enjoy every day, including his birthday. "My family had a surprise party for me on my 17th birthday because we didn't really celebrate the 16th," he said. "It was good. I was very happy they did that. The only thing I wish is that my mom was there. That would have made it perfect." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.