It is not easy for anyone to leave a place they have worked and lived for 11 years. And it might be even harder for children who have spent an equally long time in the community with their friends and classmates.
That was a decision Pete Germano, Ohio’s former defensive line and special teams coach, had to make when he was offered the same position at Fresno State.
Ohio’s longest-tenured active football coach, Germano accepted the position last week.
“It took a good bit of two weeks to make sure that this is the right thing to do for my family,” he said. “I have no doubt that it was the right thing to do professionally, but I wanted to make sure it was right for my family as well. The family and their support and understanding my profession ultimately supported the move and made it a lot easier for me to say yes.”
His youngest son, Michael, a sophomore at Athens High School, was coming into his own as a member of both the varsity football and basketball teams — making Pete’s decision to head west even more difficult.
Michael excelled at quarterback for Athens when replacing injured senior starter Josh Skinner and was in line to take over the starting job next season.
Under Michael’s lead, Athens finished out the regular season undefeated with a 24-21 overtime win against Nelsonville-York.
“It was a tough decision to have him leave,” Pete said. “In a perfect world he would have been a senior.”
Michael said making the move will be difficult for him.
“Initially when I heard about the move I was excited about the opportunity to live in California, but overall, I would say that the move is kind of disappointing as far as where I’m at with friends and sports,” he said. “Obviously, coming off a football season like the one we had and expecting to be the quarterback for the next two years, I would say that moving is definitely not ideal.”
Depending on when his family’s house sells, Michael will be California-bound either during spring break or once school lets out for summer.
The family is comparing three high schools in Fresno: Buchanan High School, East Clovis and San Joaquin Memorial. Pete Germano said they are going out of their way to find the best fit for Michael, and they know the move won’t be easy.
“Michael is a really smart student and football player and a really good kid, and I think he’ll adjust to his new environment, but I think the toughest part is yet to come,” Pete said. “We’re going to search really hard to find the right high school for him.”
Michael wants to find one that matches for both academics and sports, especially football.
“I have to find the best situation that works for football and sports, but also for academics, so we’ll see which ones fit the best,” he said.
Michael will be flying to Fresno soon and hopes to make a timely decision.
Pete will join the staff of new Fresno State coach and former Ohio assistant Tim DeRuyter.
“I was extremely happy at OU,” Pete said. “It was a wonderful place to raise a family. I have great friends that I’ll never forget, and a great staff, and so did Michael and the whole family. It was a very tough decision to move on like that, especially after being there so long.”
Faced with the thought of starting over at a new school, Michael is handling the situation much better than expected of a high-school sophomore.
“You just have to take it and do the best you can with it,” he said.
Pete said he is happy with the way Michael has handled the idea thus far.
“I think he kind of understands the whole deal with me,” Pete said. “There’s a sacrifice there, unfortunately. He handled it really, really well, beyond his years.”
as506610@ohiou.edu
