Josh Resignalo is a man about the basics when it comes to the game of football.
For example, he believes like most that a team must run the ball to be able to throw the ball and vice versa. Now, when it comes to the indoor game, the version waged eight on eight in arenas across America, there are a few more tricks to the trade he’s learned during his 17 seasons in the industry.
And Resignalo, known to most as “Coach Res,’ mastered those unmentionable secrets as well during the Wheeling Miners’ undefeated championship season in the American Arena League 2. But, folks, he won’t tell you that. Instead, you have to hear from his players, his assistant coaches, his owners, and from his long-time friend from California who migrated to West Virginia several years ago.
The Miners finished their 10-0 season with a 61-14 victory over Peach State this past Saturday evening at Wesbanco Arena, and while quarterback Grant Russell was awarded the Championship Bowl MVP, it was Resignalo and his preparation that made all the difference.
“Peach State had some talented players, and they were a very good team,” said Wheeling resident Matt Porter, an assistant coach and assistant general manager. “I know the AAL2 was a development league, but they had some dudes out there who could play really play the game. They had some bigger guys, too, who could really move and that’s important in the arena game.
“But the final game came down to coaching. We had players and they had players, but it was ‘Coach Res’ who made the difference because our coaching was better, pure and simple,” he said. “He works. He studies film. He’s old school so nothing surprises him. Our success wasn’t accidental and he’s the reason why. He said we would win the championship from the very beginning.”
Wesbanco Arena has been home to arena football before, including the Ohio Valley Smash, the Greyhounds, and the Roughriders, so Resignalo knew quality standards would be in place when he arrived to the Friendly City.
Didn’t matter. ‘Coach Res’ still called it.
“You know, it became cultural across the board, and it definitely started at the top with him. He was the one with all the confidence right from the start. I remember himself at a tryout last year that he was building a team to win the championship,” Porter said. “There was confidence, and ‘Coach Res’ made that connection with the players, and with our front office staff.
“It was a culture that included our ownership, too, and that let everyone know that we were all headed in the same direction. There was no question about it,” he explained. “We did our best as an organization to be a part of the community, too, but we knew we were going to have to prove ourselves before people are going to accept us. I think we did that, too.”
Fans are fickle, though, and a cool team logo, loud music, a dance team, a drumline, and a great hype guy like “DJ Daner” Malatinski often isn’t enough to sell tickets let alone team apparel.
But that in-game atmosphere and winning?
“We knew going in that we had something to live up to because of the success of the previous arena football teams that’s played here in Wheeling, and we were ready for that,” Porter said. “We did see an increase in attendance over the course of the season because we were successful, but for the championship, we saw a lot of people in those seats at the arena. And we sold a ton of merchandise during that championship game, so we’re hopefully getting there with the arena football fans in the area.
“Sports fans in this area have been blessed to have the Nailers for so many great years, and their fans are very, very loyal and it’s an awesome thing to see. People wear their Nailers gear all year long, and that’s how you know,” he said. “That’s where we hope to get because that’s what it’s all about.”
The offseason, Porter explained, will be spent preparing to move to a much more competitive circuit, the National Arena League and that means recruiting, fine-tuning, and growing as a professional organization.
“It was a process as far as the in-game entertainment, but thanks to ‘Coach Res’ brought it all together. He talks about building the organization, and he knows now he’ll have to add people because of the move to the NAL,” Porter reported. “We’ll need to expand every department, and there will be growing pains, but we have the leadership and that’s most of the battle.
“The on-field talent is something we’ll be working on every day because you never know when you’ll have the opportunity to see a special player. I know we’re talking to some of the players from Georgia,” he added. “Our league this year did have some competitive teams in it, but the Miners were very talented and we hope to bring back a lot of our players so we can continue to be successful for the city of Wheeling and our fans.”
