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HONESDALE — An exciting new era is dawning for the Honesdale football program.
At their regularly scheduled April 14 meeting, Wayne Highlands School Board members voted 8-0 to hire George Howanitz as varsity football coach.
A star player at Valley View who went on to skipper his alma mater for 16 seasons, Howanitz will succeed Paul Russick, who resigned last month to take the job at Pittston Area.
“George's success and experience as a coach are impressive to say the least,” said high school principal Peter Jordan. “We believe his leadership of our football program will be a major asset. I can't wait for George to meet our student-athletes and parents.”
Howanitz stepped away from the field for two years after his sons graduated and moved on to college. Now, he's energized and excited to begin a new chapter in his coaching career.
More: Breaking News: Honesdale football coach confirms he's leaving to take over at Pittston Area
Also by Kevin Edwards: Honesdale and Wallenpaupack Area football players team up to help local food pantry
“I think it's a perfect fit for me in a lot of ways,” he said. “Honesdale is a great community with great kids.
“The district has a fantastic reputation, and I'm really looking forward to getting started. We're definitely going to hit the ground running.”
Howanitz was a standout on both sides of the ball during his high school career.
An all-conference honoree at quarterback and defensive back, Howanitz was equally adept at passing and running. He amassed 50 touchdowns during his career and led the Cougars to a PIAA state championship in the fall of 1992.
After graduation, Howanitz headed off to Bucknell University where he led the Bison to its first Patriot League title in 1996. Howanitz was a tri-captain on that team, which posted a 28-27 overtime win against Colgate in the season finale to capture the crown.
Howanitz began his coaching career in 1999 at Wallenpaupack Area. He served on Stan Kucharski's staff for six years before returning to Valley View where he became just the second head coach in school history in 2007.
His tenure there was successful from start to finish. Over the course of 16 seasons, Howanitz guided the Cougars to an overall record of 116-68.
Valley View powered its way to four Lackawanna Football Conference titles and four District 2 crowns. The Cougars won 10 games or more six times.
Howanitz plans to be in Honesdale soon to meet with players and parents. He'll also work quickly to assemble a staff and oversee off-season training.
“We're going to be fun to watch I can promise you that,” said Howanitz, who will act as the team's defensive coordinator. “We'll be blitzing on every single down. Someone will be coming from somewhere, so our opponents better be ready for that.”
Howanitz also plans to play a major role in directing Red & Black special teams, which will mean some unconventional decisions from time to time.
“We're going to go for it on fourth down in our own territory sometimes,” he said. “We're going to fake punts, fake field goals and use some onside kicks. It's going to be exciting, and it's going to be fun!”
Offensively, Howanitz has a system he favors; but, he'll always be willing to adapt to his personnel.
“We'll keep it simple at first,” he said. “Maybe like a Wing-T similar to what Trail runs. But, I'm a big believer in using all your kids. Ideally, I want to expand our roster and have kids play just one way as much as possible.”
Howanitz believes that the Hornets are just a few steps from being a perennial title contender. He thinks a lot of the pieces are already in place and that it's just a matter of taking the program to the next level.
“I think Honesdale fans are really going to like my approach,” he said. “We're going to get to a point pretty quickly where the expectations are higher.
“It won't be long before the kids, the parents and the fans aren't content with five or six wins. My honest expectation is for us to shoot for 10 wins every year and also compete for a title every year.”
Honesdale kicks-off its regular season schedule on the road at East Stroudsburg North on Friday, Aug. 22.
The Hornets' home opener is slated for Friday, Aug. 29, versus Pocono Mountain East.
Other games of note include: Wallenpaupack Area (Sept. 5), Valley View (Sept. 19), Western Wayne (Sept. 26), Lakeland (Oct. 4).
“We'll be ready,” Howanitz said. “There are some really good rivalries on that schedule, but every game is equally important.
“I hope Honesdale fans get excited and embrace what we'll be doing because it's going to be entertaining and fun.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: George Howanitz is hired as Honesdale's new head football coach
Continue reading...
At their regularly scheduled April 14 meeting, Wayne Highlands School Board members voted 8-0 to hire George Howanitz as varsity football coach.
A star player at Valley View who went on to skipper his alma mater for 16 seasons, Howanitz will succeed Paul Russick, who resigned last month to take the job at Pittston Area.
“George's success and experience as a coach are impressive to say the least,” said high school principal Peter Jordan. “We believe his leadership of our football program will be a major asset. I can't wait for George to meet our student-athletes and parents.”
Howanitz stepped away from the field for two years after his sons graduated and moved on to college. Now, he's energized and excited to begin a new chapter in his coaching career.
More: Breaking News: Honesdale football coach confirms he's leaving to take over at Pittston Area
Also by Kevin Edwards: Honesdale and Wallenpaupack Area football players team up to help local food pantry
“I think it's a perfect fit for me in a lot of ways,” he said. “Honesdale is a great community with great kids.
“The district has a fantastic reputation, and I'm really looking forward to getting started. We're definitely going to hit the ground running.”
Impressive resume
Howanitz was a standout on both sides of the ball during his high school career.
An all-conference honoree at quarterback and defensive back, Howanitz was equally adept at passing and running. He amassed 50 touchdowns during his career and led the Cougars to a PIAA state championship in the fall of 1992.
After graduation, Howanitz headed off to Bucknell University where he led the Bison to its first Patriot League title in 1996. Howanitz was a tri-captain on that team, which posted a 28-27 overtime win against Colgate in the season finale to capture the crown.
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Howanitz began his coaching career in 1999 at Wallenpaupack Area. He served on Stan Kucharski's staff for six years before returning to Valley View where he became just the second head coach in school history in 2007.
His tenure there was successful from start to finish. Over the course of 16 seasons, Howanitz guided the Cougars to an overall record of 116-68.
Valley View powered its way to four Lackawanna Football Conference titles and four District 2 crowns. The Cougars won 10 games or more six times.
Ready to roll
Howanitz plans to be in Honesdale soon to meet with players and parents. He'll also work quickly to assemble a staff and oversee off-season training.
“We're going to be fun to watch I can promise you that,” said Howanitz, who will act as the team's defensive coordinator. “We'll be blitzing on every single down. Someone will be coming from somewhere, so our opponents better be ready for that.”
Howanitz also plans to play a major role in directing Red & Black special teams, which will mean some unconventional decisions from time to time.
“We're going to go for it on fourth down in our own territory sometimes,” he said. “We're going to fake punts, fake field goals and use some onside kicks. It's going to be exciting, and it's going to be fun!”
You must be registered for see images attach
Offensively, Howanitz has a system he favors; but, he'll always be willing to adapt to his personnel.
“We'll keep it simple at first,” he said. “Maybe like a Wing-T similar to what Trail runs. But, I'm a big believer in using all your kids. Ideally, I want to expand our roster and have kids play just one way as much as possible.”
Howanitz believes that the Hornets are just a few steps from being a perennial title contender. He thinks a lot of the pieces are already in place and that it's just a matter of taking the program to the next level.
“I think Honesdale fans are really going to like my approach,” he said. “We're going to get to a point pretty quickly where the expectations are higher.
“It won't be long before the kids, the parents and the fans aren't content with five or six wins. My honest expectation is for us to shoot for 10 wins every year and also compete for a title every year.”
Ready for prime time
Honesdale kicks-off its regular season schedule on the road at East Stroudsburg North on Friday, Aug. 22.
The Hornets' home opener is slated for Friday, Aug. 29, versus Pocono Mountain East.
Other games of note include: Wallenpaupack Area (Sept. 5), Valley View (Sept. 19), Western Wayne (Sept. 26), Lakeland (Oct. 4).
“We'll be ready,” Howanitz said. “There are some really good rivalries on that schedule, but every game is equally important.
“I hope Honesdale fans get excited and embrace what we'll be doing because it's going to be entertaining and fun.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: George Howanitz is hired as Honesdale's new head football coach
Continue reading...
