Nick Arminio, Eastern Tech's record-breaking football coach, is leaving his position for a new one in his native New Jersey. Randallstown's Bruce Strunk will replace Arminio at Eastern Tech after re-establishing the floundering Rams program as a metro-area power.
Arminio will move to Toms River High after four seasons at Eastern Tech, where his Mavericks went 1-9, 7-3, 9-2 and, last fall, a school-record 12-1 for the No. 2 area ranking.
Arminio told his players Friday about his decision. And yesterday, a couple of hours after Strunk had met with his players about the move, the two coaches met at Eastern Tech "to complete paperwork and try to make this transition as smooth as possible," Arminio said.
Eastern Tech, a 3A state runner-up for the first time in school history, has five players who will play college ball. Two of them, All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year Ray Jones (Villanova) and All-Metro Anthony Lawston (Georgia Tech), earned football scholarships along with consensus All-State honors.
Two years ago, Strunk became the Rams' sixth coach in five seasons, taking over a program that was coming off its worst record at 2-8, despite having won two of Baltimore County's four state titles.
Strunk was The Sun's City/County Coach of the Year in his first season after his Rams went 8-3 and reached the state quarterfinals. This year's Rams made their county-leading 12th playoff appearance, finishing 11-1, reaching the state semifinals and earning a No. 3 area ranking.
"If it was about winning and losing, I'd stay put," Strunk said. "But Eastern Tech's a great situation for my family. I live in Parkville, which is closer to this school."
Eastern Tech is a two-time 3A-4A league champ. But Randallstown, winner of last fall's 1A-2A title, has been reclassified as 3A, which makes next fall's Eastern Tech-Randallstown game on Oct. 2 a big 3A-4A matchup.
Pub Date: 3/02/99
