Jacobson named Panther Head Coach

The Edgemont Board of Education at its meeting Tuesday night approved the appointment of Pete Jacobson ?96 as the Panthers? new Head Wrestling Coach. Jacobson is entering his 10^th season coaching at his alma mater, where he began as a Volunteer Assistant Coach in the 2002-2003 season. He was promoted to Head Assistant Coach the following year, a position he has held until this week.

?I am extremely grateful to our Athletic Director, Ray Pappalardi, and the Edgemont Board of Education for giving me this tremendous opportunity,? Jacobson said. ?Coaching wrestling at Edgemont is one of the great pleasures in my life and I am excited to keep working with our student-athletes in this new role, helping them to achieve their goals on the mat and off. Our program has made huge strides in the past 10 years and I can?t wait to help our student-athletes reach even greater heights in this new chapter. I can?t wait to get on the mat.?

Jacobson replaces long-time veteran Coach George DiChiara who helmed the program for 22 years and was Jacobson?s high school coach. ?I?ve learned a lot from George. Having known him for 20 years as my coach, and later as my colleague and friend, I know we share the same values and vision for the program, but I realize I certainly have some big shoes to fill,? said Jacobson.

?Really not much is going to change. Our philosophy of hard work and smart planning to achieve your goals doesn?t change. Our staff and athletes have been working very hard for the past seven months to prepare for this season and that preparation will give many of them a great head start towards reaching the podium at Sectionals and States.?

Jacobson has also begun solidifying his staff for the upcoming season. Edgemont has yet to approve a new Head Assistant Coach, but two-year Volunteer Assistant Coach Manny Alayon is the front-runner for the job.?