COAL TOWNSHIP - The Shamokin Area School Board is expected to hire a new head football coach at a special meeting tonight.
Five candidates were interviewed for the position Tuesday: Ed Bailey, Pat DiRienzo, Rick Geist, Ted Pietkiewicz and Zane Simpson.
Bailey, DiRienzo and Pietkiewicz were all on staff last season under former head coach Yaacov Yisrael, whose resignation was accepted last week. Yisrael was 0-10 in his lone season. He submitted his resignation last month after accepting a full-time job that wouldn't allow him to continue to lead the Shamokin Area Indians.
Geist is the most accomplished of the candidates. The former head coach at North Schuylkill and the now defunct Cardinal Brennan compiled a 146-66-2 overall record in 19 seasons. His teams won a pair of District 11 titles, two All-American Football Conference titles and finished five regular seasons undefeated. North Schuylkill had won 33 straight games before a loss in 2012, the same year Geist was fired following a locker room tirade.
He was a finalist for Shamokin Area's head coaching job that was ultimately awarded to Yisrael in 2013.
Bailey was Shamokin Area's assistant head coach for six seasons, and had also led its freshman team for five seasons. He served as head coach at both Williams Valley and Lewisburg Area for a combined three seasons.
DiRienzo coached in Shamokin Area's football program for 17 years, 11 years with the varsity team. He also has 15 years of local youth football coaching experience.
Pietkiewicz spent a season with the varsity and two with the junior high team. He has seven years experience in local youth football.
Simpson was a junior high coach at Pottsville Area and also four years with a semi-professional team from the Sunbury area.