COACH OF THE YEAR: The Mitchell coach has a history of winning, having played in the state final four in the 1990s.
By STEVE LEE
Published March 21, 2004
TRINITY - Pio Rizzo, a 1997 River Ridge graduate, played on two state final four teams, which before this season marked the highlight of his soccer career.
Now he has a few new highs.
Namely, coaching Mitchell to a school-record 12-win season that included the Mustangs' first conference and district titles, as well as a first-round playoff victory.
"It's a lot more rewarding," Rizzo said, comparing coaching a playoff team to playing in the postseason. "After winning so many games and these titles, I'm just so proud of these kids."
Rizzo has coached Mitchell for three of its four seasons, taking over a program that started 0-25-2. The Mustangs have since gone 22-34-9 and after seasons of four and six wins, Rizzo had a feeling this season would be even better.
"In year's past, we said we would try to get to .500 or have a winning record," Rizzo said, "but this year the kids said they wanted to win the conference and district championships. That was on our (locker room chalk)board from Day 1."
Loftier expectations, resulting in a recordbreaking season, led Rizzo to be chosen Sunshine Athletic Conference coach of the year.
The Pasco Times seconds that motion.
Leading the way for the Mustangs this season was senior forward Ryan Villiard, who posted career highs and set school records with 31 goals and 76 assists. That earned Villiard, who finished as the county's fourth-leading scorer, a scholarship to Catawba, a Division II school in North Carolina.
Villiard is one among a half dozen seniors who has been around since the program's inception. That is why, Rizzo said, it was easy to sell his players on giving 100 percent and convincing them to put team goals ahead of their individual ones.
"I think they finally came together," Rizzo said. "They put their egos away and worked toward a common goal.
"I believe we have the hardest working team in the county."
Players like Jarrod Madonna, a senior midfielder who set a school record with 20 assists, tough defender Mike McDevitt, a three-year starter after transferring from Tampa Catholic, and junior midfielder Andrew Dematos, who scored 11 goals, were instrumental in the team's success. So were solid two-way senior midfielders Glenn Josephick and Steve Frantz, along with sophomore goalkeeper Matt Wegener.
Rizzo acknowledged that being a former player on a standout team factored into Mitchell's record run, but added that the players took his experience and coaching and ran with it.
"I didn't score any goals or make any saves," Rizzo said.
As the season unfolded, Rizzo said each milestone "was icing on the cake.
"To turn it around and do as well as we did when nobody expected us to, it says that much about our team."
