After graduating from Mount Union University, Edgewood graduate Steve Kray returned to Ashtabula County to work as a teacher and coach at his alma mater. Ten years later, Kray has been named to replace athletic director Dave Melaragno, who retired at the end of the just-completed 2011-12 school year.
“I hope (Melaragno) is happy,” Kray said. “The way he did things, we knew he was going to retire for a couple years. It fell into place. Since I came back from college, I knew I eventually wanted to move up the ranks. I taught for 10 years. This is what I wanted. I pretty much taught everything. I coached girls tennis, basketball and baseball for 10 years. I put the time in. I know what coaches need and expect. I’m excited to have that role.
“I knew the last five years Dave wasn’t going to stick around. There were things he wanted to do. I knew it was coming, but I wasn’t a shoo-in to get the job. I tried to be open to the things going on and be a part of the sports program.”
Kray knows the role he has accepted is not an easy one, given Melaragno and his predecessor, Al Goodwin, had been in the position for a long time and had done the job well.
“They’ve set a very good example,” Kray said. “I have very big shoes to fill. Al was the AD when I was in school and when I first came back, Dave was there. They are two very experienced guys who ran the athletic department for years. They have a lot of things set up for success and it’s a tradition I have to continue. Being new coming in, I’m not looking to ruffle any feathers.
“I will modernize things and do what we need to do to get to the next level. (Werstling) Coach (Greg) Stolfer retiring left a huge void to fill. Those are big shoes to fill for whoever takes the job. As far as big weeping changes, no. I have a lot ideas for fundraisers for teams. I will follow (Goodwin and Melaragno). Al and Dave set a precedent. The job ahead is big and I will spend a lot of time learning until I can walk in their shoes. I did pick their brains. There will be a learning curve, but I’m excited about it.”
Kray is not entirely oblivious as to the demands of his new job.
“I had an opportunity last year, I wouldn’t say to shadow, but to learn,” Kray said. “Dave had surgery late last year and I did some stuff on a volunteer basis. I learned some things then. (Melaragno’s) been a good help. He’s shown me where stuff is and given me some insight on how things are done.
“My job at the junior high is teacher on special assignment. Basically, I’m in charge of discipline at the junior high. I would go to the varsity events to monitor the junior high kids so it kind of worked hand in hand.”
He will also not be left to sink or swim on his own.
“Last year, I knew this spring would be tough not being in the dugout,” Kray said. “I’m excited. This summer’s been crazy so far. I’ve been trying to figure out how to be in two different buildings. I have two people who will be a great deal of help. Christina Fischer will be at Edgewood and Dennis Mitchell will be at Braden. They’re going to help me manage things. They’re going to run events with me overseeing things. It was hard for Dave, and, I imagine, for Al, to get over to the junior high. When you have seven events going on in the fall, it’s hard to get over to the junior high. Dennis will be a big help there being in charge of the facilities and games.”
And should Kray happen to need one, he has a life raft available in Melaragno.
“We’ve communicated quite a bit,” Kray said. “It’s difficult. I don’t want to bother him. When you retire, the worst thing that can happen is the guy talking over the job calls you every five minutes. We had a chance to sit down and we went over a lot of things. He’s got a great deal of things written down for me. Come August, he’ll be on speed dial and I will call unless he’s in Florida. I don’t want to interrupt his pool time. (Principal) Karl (Williamson) has been great.
“I will have to be flexible this year. It will be a difficult year. I’ll have to be a floater. I don’t know what my every day schedule is going to look like, but I’m going to have to be flexible. If something happens, I’m going to have leave and head over to the other building. It’s going to be a learning process for sure.”
During the last 10 years, Kray has served as a teacher and coach at both Edgewood and Braden. This past year was the only one in which he did not coach a sport.
“The hardest part of this past spring was not coaching baseball and not having an association with those boys like I have for 12 months a year since they were in seventh grade,” Kray said. “It was the hardest not being around the guys. I try and be at a lot of events and watching them play. I’d coached Bobby Dragon and Jeff Imbrogno for a long time and they’re great kids. I miss the camaraderie side of things. The teams were also close with my family. They spent a lot of time with my family.
“My family grew up with my players. It’s something I take a great deal of pride in to still be a part of. I didn’t have many dealings with the girls. I didn’t get an opportunity to watch the girls because there wasn’t a season I didn’t have a sport, but now I have an opportunity to do that.”
Kray has largely been a coach for boys sports, therefore never really having the chance to get a good read on what was happening in the girls programs at Edgewood. He has already begun to rectify that.
“We’ve got the ship moving in the right direction,” Kray said. “We’re having a very productive summer,” Kray said. “We met with the coaches and athletes before school was out and we set things. We had meetings with the teams so they could have a productive summer. A lot of athletes are working hard right now.
“This year, so far, a lot of the kids are pulling two or three things they’re doing in a day,” Kray said. “The girls go to soccer or run cross country then they go to basketball open gyms and then maybe they have summer softball. They’re dedicated. I think they’re turning the corner. On the whole, they’re buying in and getting better.”
Some the girls programs at Edgewood have been successful for years while others have fallen off the pace set by other local schools. Kray is hoping to get the entire girls program at Edgewood up to par.
“If they keep putting in the effort in the summer, in the next two or three years they have the chance to turn the corner,” Kray said. “They’re very close to breaking into a slot and moving into being at the same level as different teams in the area. It will take time, but we have the right people in place to get the kids to bigger and better places.”
One of the biggest problems facing Kray is one of circumstance. When the Northeastern Conference ended, the Warriors were left to face the world alone as an independent. Kray knows that one way to help his athletes is to find another conference in which to compete.
“There are a lot of things on the table we will be exploring,” Kray said. “We have a lot of letters out in Northeast Ohio. It will take organizing the schools in the county and having us all sit down and look at things. We’ll do what we have to do to get ourselves a conference for the kids. It’s difficult competing in a season without a conference. You push them to do things, but it’s tough.
“I want the kids to get the experience of a league. There’s nothing like Friday night game when you know you can win the conference. Right now, they’re playing for a tournament seed. It’s hard to make that a motivation when every day they could be going out and trying to win a league game. There’s a big difference in that experience for the kids.
“I imagine many people at Edgewood feel the same. I’ve fielded that question many times. We already have a lot of ideas out there that we are trying to explore.”
Kray, his wife, Nicole, and their two children, Logan and Carly, have been exceptionally close to many of the students and athletes at Edgewood for a long time. That is not something that will change any time soon.
“There are a lot of different things to think about as a parent,” Kray said. “Sports programs provide rules and structure and I think putting the kids around that is always good. My wife is an active part of the boosters. The kids love coming to games. Logan loves the guys. This graduating class was in seventh grade when he was born. They’ve watched him grow. They’re a big part of our kids’ lives.
“They’re very good role models. When we take the kids to an event, most of the time, Logan disappears. He’ll end up sitting in the stands. You’ll look over and he’s eating popcorn and watching the game with the kids. The kids do a great job taking care of him. They take on a role as responsible role models.”
Ettinger is a freelance writer from Ashtabula.
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