By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The planning is over for Patrick Youel.

The fall season is here and he has been deep into it since the middle of July.

Southeast senior Jack Muldowney
Shannon Eldreth/Portage Sports

Youel is the Southeast football head coach, but also serves as the district’s athletic director and assistant principal.

All three jobs require a significant amount of time and energy.

Organization and communication are the key components that keep Youel’s calendar together.

A calendar that fills up quickly from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. each day.

The passion for his roles still burns strong even after 15 years.

“The grind is the grind and every team and every year is different and unique,” Youel said. “What makes it exciting is that the start of every year brings different dynamics and that is what keeps me coming back and is what keeps you feeling young.

“In some ways, it can compare to being a kid at Christmas. That feeling and excitement that comes from the uncertainty. That feeling in the pit of your gut of wondering what tomorrow is going to bring. I still get that feeling.

“Luckily for me, that feeling has not left. To be with the kids, to stand in front of a group of young men is still a special opportunity for me that I don’t take for granted.”

Another year brings another group of seniors, who began their set of first lasts a few weeks ago and will spend the rest of the season checking more off the list because once the season gets underway, it can become a blur of activity.

“We put that on our seniors the other day actually,” Youel said. “About how fast it goes. We all say it and it is cliche, but when you are living it, you feel it. When these players arrive as freshmen, they hear people talk about how fast it can go and they brush it off because their senior season is still years away. They blink, and here they are as seniors. It doesn’t seem real, but that is the way it goes.”

For those seniors, the season will have a different feel altogether, with the Pirates playing outside of a Portage County-based league for the first time in school history.

Southeast is now a member of the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference. After opening with non-league opponents Akron Garfield, Mathews and Cuyahoga Falls, the Pirates will embark on a new-look league schedule that includes Newton Falls, Columbiana Crestview, (Garrettsville) Garfield, Champion, Brookfield, LaBrae and Liberty.