High school football: Brunswick hires Lorain's James Boyeas as head coach

James Boyeas' first two head coaching stops produced instant improvement, and that caught Brunswick's attention. The Blue Devils will announce the Lorain coach as their man to replace Kole Carter this morning, making him the 15th coach in school history pending board approval. Boyeas was selected out of a finalist group that also included Medina head coach Larry Laird, Fairview head coach Sean Ranc, Brunswick offensive coordinator Grant Relic and former University of Texas at El Paso co-offensive coordinator Ryan Stanchek. Boyeas will be an intervention specialist within the district. "Coming to Brunswick is extremely exciting," Boyeas said. "There is a history there. It's a prominent program in Northeast Ohio that has had a lot of success in the past and a little bit recently. There is a strong level of community support. (At Lorain we) were playing there ironically on their youth day, and I kept thinking about the community support. I can't wait to pour into that. "I said this in my interview that you almost get like a small, country football community feel but with large numbers. It's a really cool combination." The 42-year-old Boyeas has a career record of 17-14 after one season at Revere (2018) and the last two at Lorain. The Titans went 2-8 in their Greater Cleveland debut last fall but were fresh off a 9-2 record and Lake Erie league championship in Boyeas' initial season. Boyeas is well-traveled. After his playing career ended as an offensive lineman for Padua Franciscan High and Heidelberg University, he was an offensive assistant at Valley City State University (2007), Lake Erie College (2008-09, 2012-15), Grand Valley State University (2010) and Gettysburg College (2011) before transitioning to the high school ranks as the offensive coordinator at Benedictine (2016) and Strongsville (2017). Among the players Boyeas coached at Lake Erie was former Brunswick quarterback Sean Bedevelsky, a finalist for the 2007 Ohio Mr. Football award. "He wasn't the biggest kid or the most athletic, but he was a winner and a leader," Boyeas said of the Medina County Sports Hall of Famer. "He did a lot for that Lake Erie College program." At Revere, Boyeas improved the Minutemen from 2-8 to 6-4, where his left tackle was future Ohio State Buckeye Ben Christman. The entire coaching staff was let go following an incident where it consumed alcohol at an overnight summer camp hosted by Heidelberg after the players' safety was secured — approximately 100 players and parents attended a school board meeting in an attempt to save his job — but Brunswick vetted the situation thoroughly and felt comfortable moving forward. Boyeas then was an assistant at Garfield Heights in 2019 before calling the offense at North Olmsted from 2021-23. The Eagles were known for physicality and a unique offense, made the playoffs twice and produced current Kent State wide receiver Jared Kelley. "We are thrilled to welcome Coach Boyeas to our athletic program and our educational community," Brunswick athletic director Jim Kovi said in a statement. "During the interview process, Coach Boyeas stood out as a relationship-builder. His work as an intervention specialist demonstrates his patience, empathy, and ability to help students overcome obstacles — skills that translate perfectly to his mentorship on the football field." Brunswick has struggled to win consistently for more than a decade, compiling a 74-92 record since legendary coach Rich Nowak retired following the 2009 season, but the Blue Devils made significant improvement on both sides of the ball en route to going 5-6 last fall before Carter left to become the co-defensive coordinator at NAIA Rio Grande University. Graduation will hit Brunswick hard, most notably All-Ohioans Eli Nichols (RB/DE), Vincenzo DiTeodoro (K/P), Sean Barnett (QB) and Andrew Hayes (RT). Gavin Ballok (RB/LB), Anthony Gamboa (WR/DB), Jamaurie Garth (OL/DL), Adin Evert (WR), Drew Dempsey (LB), Logan Matousek (LB) and Jake Tamosiunas (QB/S) are among the top players expected to return. While most are expecting a rebuilding season due to inexperience in 2026, there is significant hope for the future. The eighth- and seventh-grade classes both went 7-1 last season, while the freshman team was 6-4. "The first thing we want to do is be a disciplined team because that is the glue that holds everything together for what you what to accomplish in life," Boyeas said. "We want to be a team that is going to be physical and exited to play football. We're going to play with passion and a lot of energy." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.