Greg Penta hired as the new St. John Vianney football coach

Former Brick Memorial star quarterback Greg Penta, a longtime Shore Conference assistant coach who most recently was Ocean’s offensive coordinator, has been named the new head football coach at St. John Vianney, the school announced Monday.

Penta was previously an assistant on championship teams at Long Branch before joining former Long Branch head coach Chad King at Ocean last season. King left the Green Wave to take the head job at Ocean, which is his alma mater.

“I am honored to be named the head football coach at St. John Vianney,” Penta said in a news release. “SJV has a great mission which I believe in, and I am excited to lead the program in a way that aligns with the values of the school. I look forward to working with our student-athletes and helping them achieve greatness on the field and in life. There are some great athletic programs at SJV, and we aspire to be considered one of them every year.”

He becomes St. John Vianney’s fifth different head coach since 2019.

Penta’s specialty has been developing quarterbacks, particularly during his stint at Long Branch. The Green Wave reached a sectional final in 2023 and won consecutive NJSIAA sectional titles in 2017-18. Before King became Long Branch’s head coach, Penta was an assistant under Green Wave Hall of Famer Dan George. Penta was part of the Long Branch staff for 13 years before going with King to Ocean.

“Greg is extremely knowledgeable and detail-oriented on both sides of the ball,” George said in the news release. “He puts his time in as a great coach should – no stone is unturned. Greg’s ability to coach kids from all walks of life with respect and integrity is his No. 1 quality as a coach.”

Penta starred in high school in 2006 as the quarterback for Brick Memorial under former head coach Fred Sprengel, which included upsetting top-seeded Sayreville as the No. 8 seed in Central Jersey Group 4.

“Greg is a true student of the game, loyal, respectful and hard-working,” Sprengel said in the release. “He treats the young men in his care and those around him with respect and dignity. SJV and the players are lucky to have Greg.”

He inherits a team that includes a host of talent, led by junior running back Abdul Turay. Named the 2024 Shore Sports Insider Most Valuable Player, Turay led the state with 2,517 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns on an average of 8.5 yards per carry. Senior quarterback Zach LaBarca, a second-team All-Shore pick by SSI last season, is also back after throwing for 1,903 yards and 15 touchdowns and running for 750 yards and 5 touchdowns in his first season with the Lancers.

Offensive lineman Robert Yakovchuck, defensive back DJ Carter and linebacker Danny Breen, who will be seniors next fall, also return after all being named third-team All-Shore by SSI.

The caveat, of course, is that in the age of the transfer, the rosters at non-public schools are often in flux during the offseason. It remains to be seen what the roster will look like by August.

Penta takes over for Bob Acosta, who stepped down after one season. The Lancers finished 9-4 and reached the NJSIAA Non-Public B semifinals. Acosta was recently announced as the new offensive coordinator at Tom Bean High School in Texas.

The Lancers will compete in Class B North with Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Wall in 2025 under the latest Shore Conference divisional realignment. They finished in a three-way tie for second place in Class C North last season behind division champion Holmdel.

Penta joins Keansburg’s John Bird, who is back for a second stint as the head coach of the Titans, as the new head football coaches in the Shore Conference during this offseason.

Scott Stump is a freelance reporter, newsletter writer and editor who first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, wrestling, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point. 

You can contact him at [email protected]