If you’ve ever been in the stands or on the sideline of a Blue Streak football game, then chances are you have heard one of the most passionate coaches on the team screaming at the top of his lungs after a huge play. Who is this bushy bearded coach, you ask? He is none other than Warren Hills alumnus, Coach Marshall Cuomo, Class of 2011.

Cuomo, who also teaches Math at Warren Hills,  is one of the eight coaches working under Head Coach Marcus Gurdineer.

Before coaching the game, Cuomo  played football for Warren Hills from 2008 to 2011.  He said his primary position was Offensive and Defensive Line.

Cuomo said he loved the sport due to its competitive nature, as well as the many lessons that the sport taught him.

“I loved to compete. I wanted to be the best at whatever it was I did. I met a lot of people who became close to me,” he said. “I appreciate the lessons that athletics teaches. It teaches you that what matters is how you respond to the situations that are placed in front of you.”

The passion for the game would leave Cuomo with a very important decision to make. Would he play at the collegiate level? 

“No, college is a whole different beast,” he said.  “It is such a different level of competition and the commitment you need to be a collegiate athlete is insane. I played club Rugby and intramurals, but it is not classified as an official college sport.”

While Cuomo did not play football at Geneva College, where he graduated in 2015 with a degree in Education,  Cuomo would be given the opportunity to coach the sport. From his first day of coaching for Hills, he knew this was the place he wanted to be.

“I’ve loved my time coaching at Warren Hills, we have phenomenal student athletes, a great community and I work with a tremendous group of coaches, teachers, and administrators, many of whom coached or taught me,” he said. “I love seeing the kids have success and I love seeing them learn how to respond to challenges and adversity in a mature and positive way. ”

As a former student-athlete and current coach, Cuomo shared some advice to upcoming athletes.

“Control the controllables: attitude, effort, and response to adversity. What matters is how you choose to respond to them and if you will continue to focus your energy and effort on the things you can control,” he said. “Learn from your past mistakes, enjoy your successes, but don’t get lost in the past,  focus on being the best you can be in the moment that is before you.”