Bob Forgrave, who led Penn Manor to the district playoffs last fall, is set to succeed Tom Getz as Hempfield’s next head football coach, the New Era has learned.
Getz resigned his post in March after 10 seasons at the helm of the Black Knights’ football program.
Three sources close to the situation confirmed over the weekend that Forgrave has been hired, pending approval from the Hempfield school board, which is expected to address his hiring at a meeting May 8.
Forgrave will take over a Hempfield team which finished just 3-7 overall last fall.
Getz led the Knights to a share of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 title and a District 3 Quad-A playoff berth in 2005. He was 63-40 in 10 seasons as Hempfield’s head coach.
Forgrave resurrected Penn Manor’s program over the last two years.
After going a combined 2-18 in 2003 and 2004, he led the Comets to a 5-5 mark in 2005, and to another 5-5 mark in the regular season last fall, which was good enough for Penn Manor to land a spot in the District 3 Quad-A playoffs.
The Comets fell to eventual runner-up Governor Mifflin 14-13 in the first round, and finished the season 5-6 overall and 10-11 in two seasons under Forgrave.
Forgrave also helped develop a pair of Division I players — seniors Jordan Gibbs and Chas Alecxih, who are both headed to the University of
Pittsburgh this fall.
Getz compiled a 63-40 record in his 10 seasons guiding the Knights, including Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 championships in 1998 and 2005.
Getz also retired as Hempfield’s baseball coach back in January after compiling 423 wins, nine Section 1 titles and six L-L League championships.
Forgrave was the defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Millersville University from 1993-96, after stints as a defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Virginia Military Institute, and as the tight ends coach at Army and Rutgers.
He was also a high school coach at Mainland in Florida and Ringgold near Pittsburgh.
His next stop, pending school board approval, will be Hempfield.
