Nick Donato

Nick Donato became North Pocono’s head coach in 1981 and stayed 15 seasons. The Times-Tribune later printed the North Pocono record as 111-56-2. He resigned after the 1995 season, following a 22-12 win over Lakeland. His combined record at North Pocono and Scranton Prep, where he coached from 2007 through 2015, is 174-94-2.

Before he arrived, the program had won 25 games in 10 seasons. From 1983 through 1994 the Trojans were 96-41. The titles in that run were Big 11 championships in 1983, 1991, and 1994, the Eastern Conference Class I championship in the 12-0 season of 1991, and the District 2 Class AAA championship in 1993.

The 1982 season, 6-5 in the Big 11, has its own page. 1988 and 1989 have their own pages. 1992 has its own page. The Sept. 28, 2017, Times-Tribune prints that team at 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big 11, and the Times Leader has the Eastern Conference championship at Berwick, which Berwick won 35-0. The seasons with a game log or a full playoff path — 1983, 1991, 1993, and 1994 — have their own pages.

He began as an assistant for five seasons at North Pocono under John Semian, then took a graduate assistantship at Arizona State under Frank Kush, and returned as the head coach in 1981. He taught social studies at North Pocono for 19 years and then spent 16 years as a guidance counselor. His father, Sam Donato, coached West Scranton for 26 years and entered the state coaches hall of fame in 1987. At the 2016 Big 33 Classic, Nick became part of the third father-son pair inducted.

After the 1995 resignation he spent five seasons as an assistant at Abington Heights. In nine seasons at Scranton Prep, starting in 2007, the Cavaliers won 63 games, including an undefeated regular season in 2013, and two Lackawanna Football Conference Division I titles. Those Prep wins sit inside the combined 174-94-2.

1984 and 1985 have their own pages. In 1984, North Pocono opened with a 6-0 win over Valley View. The Nov. 26, 2013, Times-Tribune calls North Pocono the defending Big 11 champions, and a Sept. 13, 2023, story calls that game Valley View’s only loss in an Eastern Conference Class A title season. In October, Scott Strong scored three touchdowns in a 21-18 win over Mid Valley. In September 1985, Tony Gazoo hit Lester Katz for a 37-yard touchdown with just over two minutes left, and North Pocono beat Scranton Prep 14-9. Lakeland won 26-24, and West Scranton won 35-7. The September 1982 loss to Valley View, the October 1982 win over Abington Heights, the September 1988 win over Western Wayne, the November 1988 loss to Riverside, the 1989 wins over Western Wayne, West Scranton, Scranton Prep, Scranton Central, and Valley View are on the 1982, 1988, and 1989 season pages.

1987 and 1990 have their own pages. In October 1987, West Scranton won 21-20 on Jerry Kapp’s 46-yard catch with 10 seconds left, and Dunmore won 9-7 in November. In 1990, Larry Shumbres scored twice in a 21-12 win over Pocono Mountain and three times in a 28-6 win over Scranton Central. Lakeland won 14-13, and North Pocono shut out Riverside 6-0.