5 months ago
- High School Sports
- Published: Jan. 02, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
FLINT – Ryan Tomaselli is each things Goodrich.
It’s evident successful nan passion he carries arsenic a personnel of nan Goodrich varsity shot coaching unit and intelligibly visible successful his agency afloat of Goodrich mini helmets, trophies, plaques, his 2024 Division 4 authorities title ring, and different Martian memorabilia.
The 2001 Goodrich graduate, who played nether existent Goodrich caput coach Tom Alward from 1998-2000 arsenic a protect lineman, serves arsenic nan team’s protect statement coach and has been connected unit since 2015.
“I’m a Martian fan, I’m a Martian coach, and I’m a Martian player, and I ever will be,” Tomaselli said.
After nan capacity Goodrich’s protect statement displayed this season, nan Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA) decided it was clip for different Goodrich-inspired grant to subordinate nan postulation of others.
The MHSFCA named Tomaselli Assistant Coach of nan Year pursuing Goodrich’s 12-1 play wherever its defense allowed 14.9 points per crippled and played a cardinal domiciled successful nan squad reaching nan Division 4 authorities semifinals.
“He’s been outstanding,” Alward said. “He useful truthful good pinch our kids. Our kids perceive to him and respect him. Our kids are very technique-sound. We do things good connected nan protect line. He sees good and makes adjustments. If a kid makes a mistake, he’s connected it.”
Tomaselli is nan 2nd consecutive Goodrich adjunct coach to triumph nan grant aft Trevor Alward, Tom Alward’s son, was named Division 4 Assistant Coach of nan Year successful 2024.
He began his coaching profession successful 2009 arsenic a personnel of nan Burton Bentley varsity shot coaching unit arsenic an adjunct coach and later became caput coach from 2012-14.
“My extremity was ever to travel backmost to Goodrich and beryllium backmost wherever I graduated from,” Tomaselli said. “I wanted to get backmost to those kids and get backmost to nan community. Goodrich is specified an astonishing community. It creates that family atmosphere.”
When Tom Alward extended an opportunity for Tomaselli to subordinate his alma mater arsenic a coach, he jumped astatine nan opportunity to beryllium backmost successful nan bluish and gold.
“(Alward) was a mentor and personification I could prime up nan telephone and telephone if I needed his advice,” Tomaselli said. “He was nan 1 that was giving maine immoderate of nan champion advice. He was nan 1 that called maine successful 2014 and said, ‘Ryan, it’s clip for you to travel home. Come backmost to Goodrich.’”
For Alward, having Tomaselli connected his unit was 1 of nan easier decisions he’s had to make arsenic a caput coach.
“I knew he could coach and had a passion for nan game, and I knew he was of nan highest civilized character,” Alward said. “Who other would I want to activity pinch my kids? He’s committed and highly organized. He cares astir kids, and he cares astir them legitimately. That’s each I want arsenic a coach.”
Nearly a decade later, Tomaselli would beryllium a portion of 1 of nan astir memorable moments successful Goodrich shot history arsenic nan squad brought location nan school’s first-ever authorities title successful a 35-6 triumph complete Niles successful nan 2024 Division 4 authorities championship.
“It was 1 of nan much surreal things I’ve ever experienced,” Tomaselli said. “After nan crippled was over, it didn’t moreover deed me. It deed maine arsenic an alumnus earlier it deed maine arsenic a coach.”
As Alward is to him, Tomaselli has go a mentor and personification Goodrich players cognize they tin thin connected and person spot in.
His coaching acquisition and results speak for itself, but what players opportunity astir him speaks to nan type of coach he genuinely is.
“Coach T is nan type of coach that a kid ever remembers,” Goodrich elder protect lineman Dominic Melaragni said. “He is ever location for america nary matter what and he wants you to beryllium nan champion type of yourself. I americium truthful grateful for what he has done for me, from opening up nan section truthful I tin get immoderate other activity successful aliases from conscionable talking to him and bouncing ideas disconnected of him complete nan telephone aliases during practice. He is an astonishing coach and an astonishing man who has specified an effect connected who I americium arsenic a subordinate and person.”
Greetings! Here astatine MLive.com, I americium nan sports newsman for nan Flint Journal. I've covered sports of each levels for astir six years, chiefly focusing connected Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne County my first 5 years....
