Pending school board approval, McCaskey defensive coordinator Todd Mealy will succeed Bob Forgrave as Penn Manor’s varsity football coach, the New Era has learned.

Forgrave recently left Penn Manor for Hempfield, where he took over for Tom Getz, who resigned earlier this spring.

According to three sources close to the negotiations, Mealy edged out former Conestoga Valley and Wilson coach Jim Cantafio, former Garden Spot coach Eric Spencer and former Mansfield University coach Jim Shiffer for the job.

Cantafio has been helping out at Lebanon High School, where he’s been tutoring the quarterbacks. He might join coach Gerry Yonchiuk’s staff this summer.

Spencer spent last fall on Franklin & Marshall’s staff.

And Shiffer, Millersville’s former associate head coach and a Conestoga Valley grad, has been looking to get back into coaching since Mansfield dropped its football program.

According to three sources close to the negotiations, Shiffer was also a finalist for the Hempfield job, which Forgrave ended up getting.

Mealy, who played football for Bishop McDevitt and for Millersville, has spent the last nine seasons on McCaskey’s staff — the last four as coach Scott Feldman’s defensive coordinator.

Mealy was also a strength and conditioning coach for the Red Tornado for eight years before relinquishing that duty last fall.

“I’m very proud of Todd, and I’m glad he’s getting the opportunity to be a head coach,” Feldman told the New Era on Tuesday.

Mealy is a social studies teacher in the Lancaster School District.

Three sources confirmed that he has accepted Penn Manor’s offer, and that his name will be given to the school board for consideration on June 4.

Forgrave led the Comets to a 10-11 record over the last two seasons, including a 5-6 mark last fall, which included a trip to the District 3 Quad-A playoffs, where Penn Manor fell to eventual runner-up Governor Mifflin in the first round.

Jeffrey Reinhart jreinhart@LNPnews.com