Football: Washingtonville selects new head coach after Finochio steps down
Washingtonville football has found a new coach.
After Anthony Finochio announced he was stepping down after three seasons on Jan. 3, the Wizards will now have former coach Don Clark at the helm, who has guided the Wizards to division titles in 2003, 2011 and 2016.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to come back and work in the district again," Clark said.
Clark will be taking over a team who recorded the first-ever playoff win in program history after a 14-7 win as the No. 5 seed over No. 4 Beacon in the Section 9 Class A quarterfinals.
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"I think I have a great group of kids coming back," Clark said. "They've been working really hard in the weight room. I think we're set up to do some good things here pretty quickly."
Washingtonville athletic director Jason Semo said there has been an excitement throughout the football program and that they are thrilled to have Clark back.
"[Thursday night] when we made the announcement to the kids at the end of their weightlifting session, there was a resounding energy that took over the room," he said. "That supports that this was the right decision, because that's something that's genuine with the kids.
"I met with the kids earlier after the announcement of Coach Finochio, and talked to them about what they would like to see in a new head coach. There was a lot of positive feedback in terms of helping me to be able to work within my search with that in mind in terms of what some key components were. Don checked all those boxes in terms of what the kids were looking for. So we're really excited about it."
Junior co-captain Ryan Lombardi said Clark being hired is the next step up for the program that they are trying to build and that the team has "huge plans" with him for the upcoming season.
Clark was a former coach of Washingtonville football in 2003, where he won the division title. He would go on to coach running backs at Marist College and then to Pace University, where he coached offensive line. He returned to coach the Wizards in 2009, but resigned in 2018. The last couple of years, with a year off in-between, Clark was an assistant coach at Valley Central, building that program.
"I think people are going to question why I was burned out on the job three years ago but now I'm ready to do it again," he said. "I had some changes in my personal life and now I have a much more supportive group of people in my personal life who allowed me to want to take on the challenge."
Semo is excited for Clark, after knowing him for a number of years from the other sideline.
"I've known him as an opposing coach over the years and I think he really offers a great combination of leadership and enthusiasm that the kids are very excited about," Semo said. "We're really thrilled to continue to see this program take off. Our numbers so far this offseason have been great and I anticipate that will continue to grow as we move forward.”
MKramer1@th-record.com
Twitter: @MKramerTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Section 9 football: Washingtonville picks new head coach
