Tony Gerg is back as head coach for Elk County Catholic, a position he last held in 2020. He takes over for Nick Werner.
"I still participated last year but didn't put in the amount of time a head coach has to," the head coach said at Tuesday's District 9 Media Day at St. Marys High School. "I know these kids well, and they're very coachable. So, we're moving along, and it's exciting."
Elk went 3-5 last year – a record they hope to improve on with the new District 9 alignment.
The reconfiguration has the Crusaders playing two games each with Bucktail, Sheffield (teams they beat last year) and Otto-Eldred (did not play). In addition, there are games with Cameron County, Coudersport, and Moniteau. The teams combined for a 14-38 record last season. Redbank (PIAA Class A runners-up), Keystone, Union/AC-Valley, and Brockway are off the schedule. They combined for a 33-14 mark.
"Let's be honest. The way the numbers are, trying to stay competitive can be hard. [Teams we play] still have better numbers than us, but I think it allows us to be as competitive as possible," Gerg said.
Gerg says in the range of 20 players will wear maroon and gold