Over the last decade, the head football coaching position at both Pleasant Valley and Panther Valley has been a revolving door.

First-year coaches Blaec Saeger and Rick Jones want to end that.

Saeger will be taking over at Pleasant Valley and Jones at Panther Valley.

Both programs will be on their fifth different head coach in the last 10 years. Meanwhile, none of the other seven schools in the Times News coverage area have had more than two coaches during that span.

First time in charge

After spending the last 16 seasons as an assistant coach, Saeger is ready to take on his first head coaching position with the Bears.

“When I was with East Stroudsburg North, we knew Pleasant Valley was a tough task,” said Saeger, who spent 14 years on the ES North staff following two years with Bethlehem Catholic as a defensive backs coach. “We have fallen on some hard times over the last couple of years here at PV. The last three coaches have been two years or less. So, it has been very difficult.

“But I plan on being here for the long haul. I told them that when I got hired, ‘I’m not looking to go anywhere else. I don’t have any quick aspirations to move on.’”

Saeger knows how difficult and competitive the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference is. But he thinks Pleasant Valley is up to the challenge.

“I’m excited and honored to tackle the challenge of bringing Pleasant Valley back to where I believe we can be and where we should be,” said Saeger. “The approach we’re taking is that PV doesn’t belong at the bottom of the EPC North. We’re going to do whatever we can to get back to the top.

“It may not happen overnight, but we’re on the right track.”

The Bears posted a 1-9 record last season, and have won a total of just three games over the previous two seasons.

But Saeger already has seen plenty of energy and optimism.

“We had all summer with these kids, and they have been phenomenal,” he stated. “They have been consistently working. I’m looking forward to next week when we can put the pads on and get after it.”

Veteran mentor

While Saeger is getting ready for his first season as a head coach, Jones has plenty of experience as the person in charge of a program

Jones began his head coaching career with a three-year stint at Pine Grove. Following that, he took over at Minersville where he spent 12 years (1991-2002) at the helm.

But after getting out of the coaching profession for close to two decades — mainly so he could watch his daughter Lexie and son Ricky play sports on the scholastic and collegiate level — Jones is ready to make the commitment again.

Jones is taking over a Panther program that has struggled in recent seasons.

Panther Valley hasn’t won more than three games in a season since 2009,

But for now, wins and loses are the least of Jones’ worries. The immediate goal is a gradual progression forward with the program.

“I wanted to take over a program that I felt needed help,” Jones said. “I don’t think I would have been personally challenged if I would have taken over a program that was already established. At this point in my career, the pure winning and losing aspect of coaching isn’t as much of a priority as it would have been 20 years ago.

“Not that we don’t want to win, but it’s more of what I can do to make these kids better.”

Jones is aware that there isn’t going to be a quick fix.

“We’re very realistic,” Jones said. “I said to the people when I interviewed that, ‘It’s a broken program. We’re just going to focus on trying to get better.’ Our No. 1 concern is to get the numbers up

“It’s going to be a challenge. There’s no question about that. But I have been very impressed with the resiliency and the attitudes of the kids. It’s been a very positive experience to this point, to be perfectly honest.”