BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post, Aug. 22, 2025
Geno Geminiani isn’t too worried about making the jump from coaching 12-year-olds to coaching 18-year-olds.
No, the new football coach at Chincoteague High School is more concerned about a different number altogether — the difference between 11 and eight.
Geminiani — yes, it’s an Italian name, and his ancestors hail from Sicily — is graduating from Pop Warner youth football, where they play with the standard 11 kids on the field, to a program that plays 8-man ball. Chincoteague and Broadwater Academy, in Exmore, are two of only 15 schools in Virginia that play the 8-man game.
“That’s the biggest jump for me,” says Geminiani, who has been studying a lot of film to get the gist of the 8-man game. “It’s been a bit of challenge for me to put all that together. It’s a faster game, but for the most part, it’s not too different from 11-man.”
Another challenge for Geminiani is turning around a program that hasn’t had a winning season in almost a decade. Since going 8-2 in 2016, the Ponies have lost 33 of 49 games. The team went 2-9 last fall.
Geminiani, a 2011 Chincoteague graduate, is a familiar face in the community and not just for coaching youth football. He’s an officer in the town’s police department and a resource officer at Chincoteague Elementary.
Athletic director Jimmy Bloxom says he and Principal John Killmon were attracted to Geminiani’s local roots and the fact that he gets along with people well.
“While coaching Pop Warner, he got a lot of respect from parents and the community,” Bloxom says. “And he knows the kids.”
Building relationships is at the center of Geminiani’s coaching style.
“I’m pretty laid back,” says Geminiani, 32. “I’m not the kind of coach that’s going to get in your face and yell. I’m the kind who will pull you aside and work with you. They’ve really responded to that style.
“But I also set a high standard. That balance — caring about them as young men while demanding their best — is what I believe makes me a good fit for this job.”
Senior co-captain Garrett Daisey agrees.
“He’s definitely a players’ coach,” says Daisey, a linebacker. “When we mess up, he’s right there to help us and show us how to do it the right way. He always encourages us. He’s always positive and keeps us going.”
Daisey believes that vibe will translate to more wins for the Ponies — starting with their season opener Friday night at Fuqua. Daisey says a “culture change” is already underway.
“He’s brought in a lot of energy,” he says. “Everyone wants to put it all out there on the table. He pushes us to our limits, and he’s really getting it all out of us. I think we’ve got a special shot at bringing another winning season back to Chincoteague.”
Geminiani hopes so, too: “Our goal is to make the playoffs.” But for now, he’s just thrilled to be where he is.
“This is a close-knit community,” he says. “And I’m honored to lead a team that represents it every Friday night.”
