JP Stevens defensive coordinator David Kunyz elevated to head coach of Hawks football

David Kunyz has been promoted from Defensive Coordinator to become the next head coach of the JP Stevens football program.

Kunyz – who was approved Tuesday night by the Edison Board of Education – will take over for Jason Goerge, who spent two years as head coach and stepped down after this past season.

The Hawks program had lost 31 straight games heading into 2023, the longest active streak in New Jersey, heading into Goerge’s first season. And while they lost all eleven games that year, feedback from coaches whose teams played them felt they were getting closer to snapping that skid.

And they did on September 6th, picking up a memorable, 22-21 overtime home victory over Bound Brook. The Hawks would pick up one more win on October 18th, a 20-18 victory over Roselle Park.

Defensively, the Hawks gave up 33.6 points per game before Goerge’s arrival, then 32.8 in his first season, but they dropped their average of 43 from the first six games to 20.6 over their final five. Last season, they gave up just 27.6 points per game the entire season, Kunyz’ first with the Hawks

Kunyz (pronounced: koonz, the “y” is silent) was the defensive line coach at Monmouth from 2019 through 2023, and helped mentor multiple all-conference selections, while the team led the FCS in sacks per game in the spring of 2021 (when their season was moved due to COVID) at 4.5 per game.

He has also spent time at Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia, Western Connecticut State and Plymouth State in New Hampshire.

Kunyz is a native of Oceanport, New Jersey, played two seasons at FDU, and lived in West Long Branch. He played his high school ball at Shore Regional.

Click below to hear new JP Stevens head coach David Kunyz talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko