Scranton, Pa. –Valley View filled a pair of vacancies in its boys athletic programs. Mike Kurpis was appointed the boys varsity basketball coach, while Pete Kolankoski was appointed the boys track and field coach at a meeting of the school board Wednesday night. Valley View filled a pair of vacancies in its boys athletic programs. Kolankoski, 34, is a graduate of Coughlin High School where he competed in the pole vault and high jump. He has been an assistant coach and coached the pole vault at Valley View for the past six seasons, and started his coaching career as the junior high girls coach for the Cougars. He takes over for Brian Kearney, who is now vice principal at Lackawanna Trail High School. Kearney built the Cougars into one of the premier programs in the Lackawanna Track Conference, winning five Division II championships and three Division I titles. Valley View also won District 2 Class AA championships in 2009 and 2010 and followed that up with Class AAA titles in 2011 and 2012. Kearney had a record of 57-15 and was The Times-Tribune Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2011. One of Kolankoski’s star pupils is Ryan Wilkes,who won last season’s PIAA Class AAA gold medal in the pole vault. “I am extremely excited,” said Kolankoski, who teaches family and consumer science at Valley View High School. “Brian is a coaching legend in the conference and he has awfully big shoes to fill. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work with him and learn from him. “It’s going to be really fun.”
