BY David Mika, Eastern PA Football: Athens Superintendent Craig Stage has announced Head Football Coach Jack Young will retire after 22 seasons on the sidelines for the Wildcats. Young led the Wildcats to six Northern Tier League Championships and a District IV title in 2004.
“There was so much going on that year (2004). We opened a brand new stadium,” said Young. We went 9-1 in the regular season and beat a really good young Montoursville team in the first round. Then we beat a defending AAA Shamokin team that year. That atmosphere was amazing in both games.”
The next year, Wildcats were 9-1 again, but didn’t make the District playoffs. “I thought we had a team that could compete that year. Montoursville went on and won the District title in 2005,” said Young.
Young coached the Pennsylvania Big 33 team in 2021.
Wildcats finished the 2022 season, 7-5. Young retires as the winningest coach at Athens with a 156-88 record.
For the first time this fall, Athens won’t have Jack Young on the sidelines. We asked him what he is looking forward to about his retirement.
“The biggest thing I am looking forward to is time with my family. I have a new title I gained about three years ago, and that is a grandfather. I am an executive assistant to a three and a half-year-old girl and I know she will keep me busy.”
“The thought of quiet Friday nights, I won’t lie, it’s going to be a little scary. I was talking to one of my coaches the other day about not being on the sidelines and wow I am 55 years old and I have not been part of a football program. I was on my father’s sidelines when I was 6/7 years old and it’s going to be a little scary. But I think I am going to be able to figure it out.”
Thank you coach for 22 years at Athens.
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