Gentzyel stepping down as Lady Bucks head coach
By Bees O’Brien
FARWELL, PA- For 33 seasons the Bucktail Lady Bucks have been guided by one man, head coach Carl Gentzyel. On July 25 Coach Gentzyel handed in his letter of resignation, ending the program’s all-time winningest coach’s career.
Gentzyel would turn a program that set historic records in the loss column into a competitive and winning program. Following a terrible slide in the mid 1990’s, the Lady Bucks under the guidiance of Gentzyel would emerge as a solid program.
A Holly Edwards and Leigh Kerstetter led squad would send Bucktail girls basketball to their first ever district playoff appearance in 2000, when they were still a part of District 6. That Lady Bucks team would fall in the first round to Williamsburg, but the stage was set.
Bucktail has since made five more playoff appearance, including two straight trips to the District IV 1A tournament the past two seasons.
Bucktail has won the past two Galeton tip-off tournaments, a West Branch tip-off tournament, champions of the NP-Liberty Christmas Tournament and a Williamson Christmas tournament title. Gentzyel brought a winning tradition to Bucktail girls basketball over the course of his over a quarter of a century tenure. That tradition will carry over to whomever is set to take over in Farwell.
In 2009 the Lady Bucks nearly qualified for their first ever state tournament in program history. A consolation loss to Benton at Lycoming College would end that season. That team was led by now assistant coach Tanya Tarantella, 1,000 rebounder Quincey Johnson, 1,000-point scorer Rebecca Grenell and Claire Kerstetter.
Edwards would be Bucktail’s first girl to reach the 1,000-point milestone, she would be followed by Grenell’s 1,000-points and Clinton County’s most prolific scorer in Maria Morgan. Morgan eclipsed 2,000 points in her career as a Lady Buck. Johnson’s 1,000 rebounds was followed up by a 500-rebound effort from Julie Green.
The Lady Bucks are set to return a host of talent this season and the next coach in line should have incredible building blocks to go off from what Coach Gentzyel has already started.
“I turned in my resignation letter last week. I enjoyed 33 years and now I feel it’s time for someone else to take hold of the reigns.” said Gentzyel of his resignation
No word yet on a possible replacement. Gentzyel was the longest tenured coach involved in Bucktail athletics currently. It would be the third sport at Bucktail that will see a new coach on the sidelines at the western Clinton County high school.
