Gorbatuk classmate, longtime assistant Markowitch keeps continuity at Manville

When Pat Gorbatuk left the coaching sidelines in football and wrestling to become the school’s next Athletic Director, promoting from within made complete sense.

That’s why he made the strong suggestion to outgoing AD Steve Venuto to hire Dave Markowitch, who’s been his special teams coordinator for the last eight years – and also coached offense and defense prior – to be the Mustangs’ next head coach.

It makes perfect, logical sense: someone who’s not only already in the school – he’s an assistant wrestling coach and track and field coach, too – but grew up in Manville, and graduated from Manville. That was in 1999.

Gorbatuk was his classmate, and graduated a year later.

The idea was to keep the coaching staff together – which happened – and keep the Mustangs’ program on the same track it was on under Gorbatuk’s leadership.

Manville football was 8-2 last year, 14-5 over the past two seasons, with two sets of back-to-back winning campaigns in the last six non-COVID-shortened years.

But for the last two seasons, Gorbatuk also had exceptional talent, including a generational talent in Shawn Purcell, who will be a preferred walk-on at Rutgers under Greg Schiano this fall.

There will be a lot of new names on the turf in Manville this season, just not on the coaching staff.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Manville head coach Dave Markowitch about his upcoming first sesason at the helm of the Mustangs’ football program: