Updated Thursday May 4th at 11:30 AM
North Farmington has found their football coach.
Bob Chiesa was named football coach succeeding Todd Schultz
whom will focus on being the Athletic Director at North Farmington.
From two accurate sources Chiesa was named Raiders coach on
Friday. He met with the players on the same day he was named coach.
Chiesa was a member of the Michigan football team in 1978
and 1979. He was a Letterman for the school under legendary coach Bo Schembechler. Chiesa has been well
known around High School Football especially from his days in the former
Kensington Lakes Activities Association. He was the defensive coordinator at
Hartland. When Chiesa was there, the Eagles allowed 168 points in 2014, in which Hartland was a playoff team that season.
Chiesa left Hartland in 2015, in which he became the defensive and special teams’
coordinators at Waterford Mott. His defense allowed 283 points
including two games where they allowed 37 points against Lakeland and 35
against Walled Lake Central last season.
Chiesa takes over a North Farmington football team that was abysmal, allowing 334 points and only scored 32 points in nine games. The Raiders had to
forfeit their game against Harrison for not having enough players last season.
North Farmington went winless in the White and moved down to the Blue this season.
North Farmington hopes that Chiesa can turn around a program
that is in desperate need of a jump start heading into the season. The Raiders
will have some players to lean on in quarterbacks Nigel Weems and Brendan
Hudson, along with running backs Taj Cheathem and Dylan Gordon, and wide receivers
Jaylen Ferguson, and Myles Gresham.
Chiesa has had a checkered past according to MIPrepZone. In 2011, he was suspended along with another former assistant coach Bill Brenner
when he was an assistant at Walled Lake Western for an alleged hazing incident off campus at a team gathering. He was at the School Board meeting but did not speak.
Chiesa was cleared from any wrong doing surrounding the incident.
Chiesa has bounced back since the incident as mentioned with two successful defensive coordinating jobs at Waterford Mott and at Hartland to earn his first opportunity as a head coach.
Chiesa was cleared from any wrong doing surrounding the incident.
Chiesa has bounced back since the incident as mentioned with two successful defensive coordinating jobs at Waterford Mott and at Hartland to earn his first opportunity as a head coach.
North Farmington opens up the season at Grand Valley State
against Greenville in August. The Raiders will compete in the Blue this season
and will have a tough schedule which includes games against Farmington,
Avondale, Ferndale, and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Thoughts.
This is an interesting hire for North Farmington because
Chiesa is a strong defensive minded coach despite having a checkered past when
he was at Walled Lake Western but he had success at Hartland and at Waterford
Mott.
I’m curious how his style of play would match up against OAA
teams especially against those whom are offensive powers in the Blue like
Avondale and Ferndale. Chiesa takes over a defense that was just awful a season
ago allowing the third most points in the league. If Chiesa can get a strong offensive coordinator whom can put up some
points and address the football program from the freshman level up then maybe the Raiders could go
somewhere this season. North Farmington has not made the playoffs since 2013.
Chiesa will have a very tough challenge ahead of him. He must create a Junior Varsity team and get the numbers back up at North Farmington. North Farmington has an enrollment of 1249 students for next season so there is talent there, it's just getting the students out to play football for the Raiders.
Chiesa will have a very tough challenge ahead of him. He must create a Junior Varsity team and get the numbers back up at North Farmington. North Farmington has an enrollment of 1249 students for next season so there is talent there, it's just getting the students out to play football for the Raiders.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for updates on this developing story.
Here is the MIPrepZone story surrounding the checkered past.
Great insight as always, but some key facts have been omitted which is surprising.
ReplyDeleteThe Walled Lake Western incident you reference, Coach Chiesa was completely cleared of everything as it came out he was not even there when the alleged incident occurred as he did not attend these. If I may add my personal feeling, he's a heck of a coach and I wish he was still coaching my son.
I'll update it shortly. Anyway I think he will do a great job at North Farmington but there are so many problems surrounding that program that he has to fix. He has to address the JV team situation, also on the Varsity front, if he can get a strong offensive coordinator that can score points and use his defense to fix that was not very good last year then maybe this could be a playoff team. Also schedule is tough, have to play Avondale, Ferndale, Farmington, NDP, and Greenville. Won't be easy games but we'll see what happens.
ReplyDeleteThings have already started to turn around. Nearly 100 signed up this year for football. Compared to last years 45.
ReplyDeleteBiggest omission from this article is that he has 2 state titles as a varsity assistant coach. 1996, 1999 wlw.
ReplyDelete