Steve Maslanek named West Milford coach by Nick Gantaifas of The Record
WEST MILFORD – A brief, but intense search process is over.
The West Milford Township Board of Education unanimously approved Steve Maslanek as its next high school head football coach at Tuesday’s regularly-scheduled meeting.
Maslanek, an educator and science teacher at West Milford High School for the last 12 years, elevates to the head coaching position after serving as the Highlanders’ defensive coordinator since 2008. Former coach Don Dougherty’s contract was not renewed following the 2017 season.
Maslanek is currently an assistant coach for the West Milford boys’ lacrosse team and previously served as the school’s indoor track coach, where he was twice named Big North Conference Coach of the Year. He has been an assistant football coach at West Milford since 2004.
“We’re very excited as an athletic department to have Steve as our new head coach,” West Milford athletic director Joe Trentacosta said following Tuesday night’s Board meeting. “Steve is committed to the kids and is all about the kids. It has been a long-time goal of his to be a head football coach and he’s ready. This is a great opportunity to change the complexion of our football program and we’re looking forward to the future.”
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Since early December, Trentacosta and a select search committee have been accepting applications and interviewing candidates after publicly posting the open position inside and outside the school district. It was always the administration’s intention to hire a new coach sometime in January in an effort to start preparing for the 2018 season.
According to Trentacosta, the athletic department received approximately 25 resumes and applications for the position from candidates throughout the state and along the east coast. After careful consideration and vetting of several qualified candidates, the search committee narrowed the list down to 10 before calling five in for interviews.
“We received quite a few applications from highly-qualified individuals,” said Trentacosta, who was one of nine members of a diverse interview committee. “But based on our interviews, no one matched Steve’s passion and love for our student-athletes. He talked more about the kids rather than himself and that says a lot about him.”
Maslanek, a West Milford resident, is expected to formally meet with the football team this week and discuss the future with the players, parents and administration. The West Milford athletic department is also expected to meet with the township’s recreation department and feeder programs to discuss the future. For the past few years, Maslanek has had a working relationship with the recreation department and youth football program.
“It’s important to have a relationship with the recreation and feeder programs in town,” said Trentacosta. “The youth is our future and we’re committed to making West Milford High School the choice when the kids are getting ready to go to high school.”
Maslanek and the athletic department now shift their attention to finding Maslanek’s replacement as defensive coordinator.
“We’ll post the open position immediately,” said Trentacosta.
The West Milford High School football program is currently at a crossroads, looking to return to a competitive level not seen in nearly a decade. The last time the Highlanders posted a winning record was in 2009 under then-head coach Shawn Poppe when they finished with a second-straight 5-5 season.
The Highlanders have only qualified for the North 1, Section 1 playoffs twice (2014 and 2015) since 2003, which was the year they finished with a 10-1 mark and the top-seed in Group 3 before losing to NV/Demarest, 16-7, in the semifinals.
Over the last six seasons, West Milford compiled a 16-43 record, including 3-7 this past season and 1-8 in 2016.
“It’s an exciting time for our athletic department and football program,” said Trentacosta. “Our goal is to get back to a competitive level. We feel that coach Maslanek is the right person for the job.”