Monroeville hires Valliant to lead wrestling team

Monroeville will have a new wrestling coach next season, but he's no stranger to the Eagles program. Jerrel Valliant was approved for the job at Sunday's school board meeting and will be reunited with several wrestlers he coached in junior high. Valliant, a 2010 Sandusky graduate, coached Monroeville's middle school team in 2020 before spending two years at Perkins and one as Sandusky's junior high coach. "It piqued my interest because the (2025) graduating class is the first class I had at the junior high," Valliant said. "It's a great, tight-knit community where wrestling is important. I want to keep improving the kids and help them develop if they want to wrestle at the next level. "I'm excited. It's not every day you get to come to an established program that is already one of the top contenders in the state. The opportunity to run the organization is huge." The Eagles had four All-Ohio wrestlers last spring and three of them — Landen Roeder, Owen Patchen and Brycen Dunlap — will return. Four-time All-Ohioan Ashton Homan recently graduated. Valliant, 32, interviewed in mid-May and accepted the coaching job on May 23. He will succeed Tylor Nester, who stepped down at the end of last season. Nester is the Eagles' head football coach. Monroeville athletic director Ben Paul said the wrestling job drew six applicants and four interviews were conducted. Paul was familiar with Valliant and was impressed with his preparation. "We were already familiar with Jerrel, as were some of the athletes," Paul said. "He's very organized and has a strong idea of what kind of program he wants to put in place. "I've conducted a lot of interviews in this job and there are just times you can tell. Sometimes (candidates) answer questions before you ask them. When that happens you know it's someone who knows how to run a program and they stand out." Valliant, who owns and operates Convenient Auto in Sandusky, is married and has two children, ages 9 and 7 months. He was a three-time state placer for the Blue Streaks and went on to wrestle at Notre Dame College and Cleveland State. He earned an applied physics degree from Owens Community College. Valliant said he wants to focus on mental toughness with his team. "We want to be mentally tough and not quit," he said. "Those kids already know how to wrestle, but we'll try to improve the mental aspect." It's a subject he knows all about after spending five years on active duty in the U.S. Army. In 2016, Valliant served in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. "It makes you appreciate life in the States, what we've got and what others don't have," he said. Valliant will meet with his team soon and begin the summer wrestling grind. "That will entail open mats and partnering up with other schools to get different bodies in," he said. Valliant is the co-owner of the Sandusky Lions youth wrestling club, which includes wrestlers ages 5-14. "A lot of the skills he has from putting that club together shows that he knows how to be in charge of a program," Paul said. "It became clear with Jerrel that he not only gave a lot of time and thought about (the Monroeville job), but also how to implement a program." Paul said the feedback he's received from the community has been positive. "I spoke with some of the parents and they're excited about him being back," Paul said. Valliant said he'll keep much of what Nester has built in place "with a few of my touches." "We're expecting big things this season," Valliant said. "This will be one of the best teams in Division III."