Miguel Cora arrived at the corner of East 185th Street and Lakeshore Boulevard last fall at Villa Angela-St. Joseph, eager to embrace a new challenge with the Vikings’ boys side following a successful tenure at Benedictine. Little did he know how that challenge would materialize in 2024. But he’s embracing the opportunity, unexpected as it may be. This fall, not only is Cora guiding the VASJ boys side, in his second year on the touchline there. He’s also the head coach for the Vikings’ girls side this season. While the concept isn’t a statewide first, it’s at minimum a rarity as a natural result of the work it entails. Cora has never been one to shy away from such work, however, so he’s tackled it head on. “I guess they liked what I did last year,” Cora said with a smile. “They asked me if I wanted to do both. I’m like, ‘Sure.’ I knew the girls were going to have a good side, and I’d be able to help them get through. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make some noise in the playoffs in Division IV. Maybe. We’ll see what happens.” Having the same head coach for both VASJ sides does create some creative scheduling, both on the training ground and with matches. Cora and the Vikings have found a way to make it feasible. “It was a little bit of a challenge in the schedule,” Cora said. “We have played a lot of doubleheaders with a boys game and a girls game, like we were going to do (Sept. 21). We’ve done a lot of those. “During the week, if one plays at 7, then it’s actually much easier. Because I can practice one at 3 and then, if I’ve got to travel, I can get on the bus at 4:30, 5 o’clock. Or I can just hang out and wait for the night game. It’s been a juggling act. But it’s been working out actually.” The Vikings’ boys side is 2-5-1 following a 1-1 draw Sept. 21 with Cornerstone Christian, adapting following the graduation of prolific All-Ohio striker Mansour M’Baye, among others. The girls side was supposed to play Sept. 21 after the boys, amid one of those doubleheaders to which Cora alluded. However, Canton South canceled at the 11th hour. Girls from the side instead served as ballgirls and assisted with operations for the boys match. Cora has been encouraged with the girls side’s play to date, sitting at 6-2-1. VASJ is paced in the attack by a pair of capable seniors in Leah Davis and Kya Bell. He wasn’t expecting to be leading two sides concurrently in 2024. But he has embraced the challenge. “Yeah, the girls are doing very well,” Cora said. “Once again with them, it was about the passing game. I was trying to teaching them a lot of the one-touches and a lot of the patterns (like with the boys last season) and looking for the open areas, working into space. “They’ve been gradually — they’ve never experienced that before. At the beginning, there was a little fightback. But now, they’re like, ‘All right Coach, what are we doing today? Are we going to do some keepaway?’ That’s right. That’s the staple of the Cora offense. (laughs)”