Staff photo / Neel Madahavan Campbell Memorial wide receiver David Moore works against a Youngstown East defender during a passing scrimmage earlier this summer. Moore is moving from quarterback to wide receiver this season.

CAMPBELL — Campbell Memorial hasn’t had a winning season since 2012.

But, since he arrived two years ago, head coach Andrew King has been working to change that.

A lot has changed since King took over. The Red Devils went 1-9 in his first season, and then won two games last year. Slowly but surely, King and his coaching staff are starting to see the improvements they set out to make.

“The first year, you feel like you’re coaching somebody else’s team. The second year, you feel like you’re just getting yourself figured out, and then the third year feels like it’s your team,” King said. “The coaching staff has been pretty similar. The players are buying in more, and they know you as the only coach, whereas before it used to be every other year with a new coach. They know you as the coach here, and that makes a big difference I think.”

In the past couple years, the program has grown and has improved as well, but for King, his coaching staff and the Campbell players, the work continues.

“To have a winning record and to be a winning program, you need consistency off the field and consistency on the field,” King said. “In all three phases of the game, we have to be more consistent. You have to come to practice, be part of the team and be less selfish, which is what we’ve been working on for the last three years now.”

That continuity of having the same coaching staff in place helps, but setting standards and having high expectations helps the program have something to strive for and work towards, according to King.

“You slowly start creeping up to those (standards) and the kids start accepting it, instead of just pushing it back,” King said. “The communication between the kids and my staff and myself has been a big change over the years and you can tell the difference. The numbers are climbing up, having the weight room for two years now, you can see the kids getting strong and the conditioning being there. Those are all things we have been consistent as a coaching staff about doing, but now the players are starting to buy in and be consistent.”

Another big change for the Red Devils is the increase in the number of juniors and seniors in the program.

Not having to rely on young, inexperienced players helps, ,and Campbell has plenty of experience returning on both sides of the ball.

OFFENSE

On offense, the Red Devils return nine starters from last season’s group.

Junior Mihali Koullias is expected to take the reins at quarterback, according to King, with an incoming freshman behind him that’s in the mix with a couple of other players. Koullias played receiver last season and finished with 215 receiving yards.

But the Red Devils have a stable to lean on in the backfield, led by junior Kevin Timlin, as well as senior Michael Mesaros.

“(Timlin) was a wide receiver and safety last year and we converted him (to running back),” King said. “Pretty much my 4×200 meter (track relay) team that went to states is my backfield.”

Senior Aziyah Flores also figures to play a significant role this season, after leading the team in receiving yards with 324 and three touchdowns a year ago.

“We’re going to ride behind the line this year, which is different,” King said.

“Last year, we had our skill spread out, this year it’s condensed in. I think Mihali, Timlin and Mikey Messaros will be the lead guys there, but it’s still early. You never know. When pads get on, it changes a little bit. When you start going up against different teams, that could change it.”

Two of the key players for Campbell on offense this season are senior receiver David Moore and senior lineman Matthew Koziorynsky.

Moore played quarterback last year for the Red Devils, throwing for 540 yards and five touchdowns, but this year King wants to utilize his size, speed and athleticism out wide.

“He’s thriving at that position,” King said. “David’s really taken it and run with it. He’s a kid you’re going to want to get the ball to.”

King said Moore’s transition from quarterback to other positions is easier than trying to convert a skill position player to quarterback.

“As a quarterback, you have to know every position, so I can throw him wherever I want and he seems to be catching on quickly,” King said. “Definitely somebody who knows how to win from the wins we’ve had, and understands that you have to bounce back from a loss. Mentally, it’s really good for our program to have older guys like that that know the drill and how to do it.”

After earning All-County honors last year on the offensive line, Koziorynsky is a player that King and the Red Devils want to continue to use in a variety of ways.

“He’s going to be a kid that we’re moving around offensively to run behind and we’re moving him around defensively so kids can’t run,” King said.

Staff photo / Neel Madhavan
Campbell Memorial junior quarterback Mihali Koullias waits for a snap during a 7-on-7 passing scrimmage earlier this summer. Koullias is taking over under center this season after senior David Moore moved to wide receiver.

DEFENSE

Joining Koziorynsky on the defensive line is fellow senior Jordan Gore.

“Jordan’s a big body that’s going to take up pretty much the whole middle of the line,” King said. “He will be a three-year starter and (Koziorynsky) is a four-year starter.

At linebacker, Campbell has a pair of speedy players in junior Mike Latropoulos and sophomore Dino Brown that have shown an ability to swarm to the ball.

Brown is a player that earned playing time towards the end of last season as a freshman. King and his coaching staff have increased expectations for him coming into his sophomore campaign.

“(They’re) two inside guys that I think are pretty athletic and pretty good studs in terms of getting to the football,” King said. “They have a nose for it, and I’m pretty excited to see what they can do.”

The secondary will consist of a lot of similar names to the skill players on offense. Flores, Moore, senior Adyn Vazquez and Koullias all will feature heavily on the defensive backend.

“Unfortunately, small school, so all those guys are going to play a role in the secondary and they all have experience there,” King said.

The Red Devils have also made the transition to a 4-3 defense for this season, which King said the team has taken positively to.

“It’s a different defense this year,” King said. “It’s nice to have a little change. I think the kids rallied around that change a lot. So, I’m excited to see what it looks like when we get on the field with somebody.”

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Red Devils have really put an emphasis on special teams this summer, according to King, but that being said, prospective high school kickers should inquire with him if interested in the job.

“I’m still taking any type of application for a kicker, so if (anybody) knows anybody, that’d be great,” King said.

“We’ve got a couple of kids that we’re looking at punting-wise and we’ve got some skill kids (for returns), but all three phases of the game are important. Last year, I feel like we made a (special teams) change midway through the year and we’re going to continue doing the same stuff there. We’re just going to hope that the kids buy in a little bit more. I think we scored two touchdowns on special teams last year, so we’re looking for that again this year.”

Campbell opens up the season on Aug. 18 at home against St. Thomas Aquinas.

2023 Schedule

Aug. 18 St. Thomas Aquinas 7 p.m.

Aug. 25 at Lowellville 7 p.m.

Sept. 1 McDonald 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 Newton Falls* 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Crestview* 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Garfield* 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 Champion* 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Brookfield* 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 at LaBrae* 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 Liberty* 7 p.m.

*Conference game

2022 Results (2-8)

Valley Christian (10-1) L 7-47

Lowellville (11-1) L 14-50

at East Palestine (1-8) W 21-14

Crestview (4-5)* L 0-63

Brookfield (10-2)* L 13-53

at Liberty (4-6)* L 21-42

at Garfield (9-3)* L 14-56

Champion (3-7)* W 21-14

at Newton Falls (3-7)* L 0-37

LaBrae (1-9)* L 8-34

*MVAC-Gray Tier conference game

Coaching staff

Head coach: Andrew King, 3rd season, 3-17

Staff: Antonis Galouzis (offensive/defensive line), John Hritz (offensive/defensive line), Kam Henley (offensive line/linebackers), Steven Hunt (defensive backs/quarterbacks), Elijah McCaskill (defensive coordinator), James Shaffer (running backs/linebackers), Jermaine Venable (offensive/defensive line)

Team facts

Division VI, Region 21

Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference – Gray Tier

Players on roster: 40

Returning letterwinners (12): Kaleb Boudrey, David Moore, Kevin Timlin, Adyn Vazquez, Dino Brown, Mike Mesaros, Mihali Koullias, Brandon Applegate, Demarcus Coleman, Jacob Tovarnak, Matthew Kozorinsky, Jordan Gore.

2022 season: Campbell Memorial opened the 2022 season with a pair of losses against two tough opponents in Valley Christian and Lowellville. But then the team picked up its first win of the season against East Palestine. After four more defeats, the Red Devils earned a home victory over Champion before closing out the season with losses to Newton Falls and LaBrae.