With 11 starters back from playoff team, Riverside expects even more in 2025

By: John Phillips
Saturday, August 16, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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Rob Magnifico returns for a second season as head coach at Riverside in 2025 after leading the Panthers to the WPIAL playoffs last season.

The story of how Magnifico came to be coach of Riverside, given the fact that he’s an Ellwood City native who played and then coached the Wolverines for 17 seasons, is an interesting one.

“I was the interim head coach at Ellwood, and the school district hired somebody else to take it in a different direction.” he said. “I thought I was going to take a year off. Then, I got three calls from various high schools right after the decision was made, including one from Ron Shire, who was the head coach at Riverside at the time. He asked me to be the defensive coordinator. I knew a bunch of coaches who were already on the staff. It was bittersweet, having played at Ellwood, but once I joined them, things went smooth. It was an easy decision.”

As it turns out, the decision was a good one, as Magnifico took over the program in 2024 and quickly showed his presence, taking the team on a playoff run.

The Panthers will have a good chance to improve on 2024’s postseason sojourn, one that saw them win a game against Our Lady of Sacred Heart and then move into the quarterfinals where they eventually lost to Class 2A runner-up Seton LaSalle on the road.

With 11 returning starters and a roster of nearly 40 players, Magnifico says that the efforts of building a winning culture have a good foundation that has been laid so far.

“Sophomore Aidan Gaydosz is our returning quarterback, and we expect he will lead us again,” Magnifico said. “Our two best linemen are a pair of brothers in Tyler and Tanner Richards who play on both sides of the ball. Robbie Janis is another talented athlete we have coming back. He not only ran for over 1,300 yards last season but had 79 tackles on defense. Hunter Garcia is a very good receiver who should help Aidan. We expect all these kids to help us get back to the playoffs.”

Magnifico also talked about some younger players he expects to help his club in 2025, including Mason Holler, a 5-foot-10 junior who will get time at running back. Alex Lucarelli is a senior at defensive back who will give some depth in the secondary, along with freshman Cole Jackson, who will see time at both the wide receiver and defensive back spots for the Panthers.

Further cementing the rivalry between Ellwood and Riverside is the fact that the Wolverines went 10-1 last season, taking down the Panthers in Week 7 by a score of 13-9. Magnifico feels the MAC is wide open for any team to step up and claim the conference in 2025.

“I think there is a lot of stiff competition, but there is opportunity there if we do what we should,” he said. “The teams like Ellwood, Western Beaver and Mohawk who were at the top last season will certainly be contenders for the conference crown as well.”

For as long as Magnifico has been around football, he has seen quite of bit of trends come and go when it revolves around coaching.

“I know you can’t coach kids today the way I was coached,” he said. “Me and my staff have to try and figure out how to motivate the kids. You can’t scream at them like was once done. You try to give them direction and hope they take to it and improve. We have a young team. We are sophomore heavy with just a few juniors and seniors. We are trying to rebuild, and our goal is to try and change the culture to a winning culture for these kids.”

Riverside

Coach: Rob Magnifico

2024 record: 6-6, 4-3 in Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference

All-time record: 295-261-4

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 Hopewell, 7

8.29 at Northgate, 7

9.5 Laurel, 7

9.12 at Union*, 7

9.19 New Brighton*, 7

9.26 at Western Beaver*, 7

10.3 Freedom*, 7

10.10 at Ellwood City*, 7

10.17 Beaver Falls*, 7

10.24 Mohawk*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Aidan Gaydosz

54-99, 812 yards, 4 TDs

Rushing: Robbie Janis

269-1,340 yards, 11 TDs

Receiving: Zach Hare*

40-605, 6 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• This season marks the 40th anniversary of Riverside’s only WPIAL championship, a 21-15 victory over Swissvale which later merged into Woodland Hills.

• Magnifico has five players from that 1985 club on his staff including Jason Richards, Tommy Gaydosz, Frank Tate, Heath Johnke and John Stulley.

• Last year’s leading receiver, Zach Hare, threw a perfect game for Riverside in a 1-0 win over Quaker Valley in the WPIAL Class 3A baseball finals and is playing his college ball at Slippery Rock.

Tags: Riverside