Railroad City News

Farwell- With time quickly running short before the start of preseason practices, Bucktail Area High School has yet to announce its next head football coach.

Former head coach Kevin Ransom resigned earlier this summer, leaving the Bucks searching for new leadership just weeks before the 2026 season begins. While interviews have reportedly been conducted, no official announcement has been made regarding who will lead the program.

The timing has become increasingly important as Bucktail prepares to begin the PIAA’s mandatory heat acclimation and preseason workouts on August 10. Those sessions are designed to safely prepare players for the season while also allowing a new coaching staff to install its offense, defense, and overall philosophy.

The Bucks are scheduled to scrimmage CMVT on August 22 before opening the regular season on August 28 in Emporium against Cameron County.

Each passing day leaves less time for a new head coach to organize practices, assemble a coaching staff if needed, evaluate personnel, and prepare the team for the season opener. Building continuity and establishing expectations are difficult tasks under any circumstances, but the challenge grows greater the closer the calendar moves toward opening day.

Players have continued preparing for the season throughout the summer, but the program remains in a holding pattern until a new head coach is officially named.

With preseason workouts now just days away, many around the Bucktail community are anxiously awaiting word on who will be selected to lead the Bucks into the 2026 football season. As the calendar continues to move closer to August 10, the window for a smooth transition grows smaller.