Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

John Trisciani called it a tough decision, and one he didn't have long to make.

Trisciani was preparing to enter his third season as Trinity High School's head coach when he received an offer to become the defensive line coach at St. Anselm College. He accepted the offer less than two weeks before Trinity was scheduled to begin practice.

"I had a very small window," Trisciani explained. "The toughest thing was the aftermath -- meeting with the players and coaches. My No. 1 concern was the (Trinity) program.

"There was no unhappiness with Trinity and I had no aspirations for college. It was either jump or don't jump."

St. Anselm begins practice Saturday, and will open its season Aug. 29 against Kutztown.

Trinity athletic director Gary Leonard will replace Trisciani as Trinity's head coach. Leonard was the head coach at Manchester West from 1992 to 2002. He also served as an assistant on Trisciani's Trinity staff.

Trisciani guided the Pioneers to a 4-4 record in 2007, when they played an independent schedule. Trinity finished 7-3 in Division V last fall. Trinity earned the No. 2 seed for the Division V playoffs, but lost to second-seeded St. Thomas in the Division V semifinals.

"I knew the next head coach was probably going to come from the (Trinity) staff," Trisciani said. "I'm in contact with these coaches. I don't see the program missing a beat."