Naymolas all set to guide football, volleyball
HUNTLEY — Two varsity teams and a family of three daughters keeps the Huntley High School coaching duo, Mike and Karen Naymola, juggling busy schedules from August to November.
“We both teach physical education, but can go through a day when we don’t even see each other,” football head coach Mike Naymola said.
“Fall is a crazy time, but we get it both being head coaches,” volleyball head coach Karen Naymola said.
The Naymolas have three daughters, Abbigail is a sophomore while Elizabeth is a freshman and Kylie is in seventh grade. All three play volleyball.
The Red Raiders volleyball squad is defending Fox Valley Conference champs. They won their third straight sectional title. The football squad was 8-2 and made the Class 8A playoffs as co-FVC champs.
Karen Naymola, daughter of William and Catherine Liss, has had the majority of her volleyball career in the Fox Valley Conference. She played prep volleyball at Cary-Grove. A standout outside hitter, she played volleyball in college at Eastern Illinois University. She set program records at EIU, and her junior year the Panthers made an NCAA tourney appearance. After coaching eight seasons at Hampshire, she succeeded Michelle Jakubowski as Huntley head coach.
Mike, son of Stan and Donna Naymola, credits many with helping him go from a “an average wide receiver in high school and I had to work to be average,” to playing on the first Rockford College football team which propelled his coaching interest.
Karen, too, gives nods to her mentors as an athlete. “I knew I always wanted to coach,” she said. “I was fortunate to have some great high school coaches who motivated me. At some points in my career my dad also coached my teams. I played four sports growing up, then specialized in volleyball my senior year in high school.”
Karen Naymola has an impressive coaching resume, with 461 match wins over 18 seasons at Hampshire (192) then Huntley (269). She coached the Whip-Purs to runner-up honors in Class A in 2007 and most recently won three straight sectional titles with the Red Raiders.
Mike Naymola, who is in his 12th year coaching at HHS, recalled his prep and college days.
“I played wide receiver at Rolling Meadows HS (where he later coached) and graduated in 2000,” he said. “I played football at Rockford College from 2000-03, I had much more success in on the field in college through hard work in the weight room and coaching. I was lucky enough to earn all conference honors as a senior. What I am most proud about in college was the fact my freshman year was the inaugural team for Rockford. We were not that good, but by the time of our senior season we stuck together and ended up having a pretty good team. Out of 78 freshmen that were on that inaugural team, only 12 of us stayed all four years, I was very proud to be part of that.”
Mike Naymola credits the assistant coach for wide receivers at Rolling Meadows, Tony Wolanski and his head coach, Dave Milsaps, as assisting in securing playing at Rockford and teaching at Huntley. Also, John Hart, his former Red Raiders head coach boss, who is now leading Brownsburg, Indiana’s team. “He (Hart) taught me how to run a football program to get the most out of your players, coaches and community. My time with him in Huntley was invaluable.”
“I’ve had a few great coaches that have been major influences in my life but my dad has always been my biggest guiding influence. Growing up he taught me so many great life lessons, some I had to learn the hard way because I was very immature as a young man,” Mike Naymola said.
“Two of the lessons he taught me was if you are going to do something, do it right. He used more colorful language, but I understood. Being half in and half out will always result in a bad job. The other major lesson he taught me was to show empathy, compassion and patience with everyone. You never really know what is really going on with someone’s life and everyone deserves your respect,” Mike Naymola said.
As a new school year dawned this week, it’s another chance for the coaching duo of Karen and Mike Naymola to help teach life lessons.
