H.S. FOOTBALL

Colleges at every level actively recruited Hazleton Area players over the past five seasons, from Penn State and Pittsburgh to Maine, Villanova and Lehigh, to Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg and West Chester, to Susquehanna, Wilkes and King’s to Lackawanna among dozens of others.
Several Cougars received all-conference, all-area and all-state recognition since 2020.
Still, that 2021 team became the first Hazleton Area squad to capture the Wyoming Valley Conference championship since 2008, edging Williamsport in the rain on the road in Week 10 to earn their title. The Cougars also recorded a playoff win, routing Wilkes-Barre Area in the subregional semifinals.
“Our success is truly a direct correlation to the unwavering support that has been received by so many throughout the Hazleton Area School District and beyond. … I truly believe we’re leaving this program in a lot better shape than we found it when I started coaching here.”
“There’s no one particular reason for (resigning now), but a multitude of things,” he said. “I just feel with where this program is right now, this was the right time.”
Buchman said the program’s numbers between the junior high, freshman and high school teams swelled to more than 150 in 2024. Many of his players over the past five seasons excelled in the classroom, were inducted into the National Honor Society and were active volunteers in the community, he added.
Playing a full season, the Cougars doubled their win total to eight in 2021. They again dropped their first two games (at home to Wyoming Area and Harrisburg), but then beat everybody else on their schedule except for Delaware Valley. They lost a 14-9 heartbreaker to the Warriors in midseason and then fell to the Warriors in the subregional final to finish 8-4.
Dennis Buchman accomplished a lot at Hazleton Area.
Also in 2022, Buchman was named the WVC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year, which he always considered “a program award.” He also was an assistant coach in the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association Big School East/West All-Star Game. His team won, 37-0.
Buchman’s teams went 4-1 against Berwick, including the Cougars’ first shutout of the Bulldogs (20-0 in 2022) and they scored the most points ever (34) for a Hazleton Area team against Berwick (2023). The Cougars were 4-0 vs. Wyoming Valley West, putting up 55 points against the Spartans in 2021. Wolfe had a school-record six touchdown passes in a 2021 with Buchman at the helm.
“I want to personally thank our players and coaches throughout our program, the Hazleton Area Quarterback Club, our athletic department, our athletic training staff, our school board, our administration, faculty/staff and all of those who have displayed their continued dedication to our program,” Buchman said.
He earned all-state accolades as a defensive back in 2006 to cap a brilliant high school playing career. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach and teacher, then served as the Cougars head coach since 2020.
Originally Published: January 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM EST
“We accomplished many ‘long time ago’ or never before achievements,” Buchman said. “We were able to overcome many obstacles and adverse situations that allowed us to make certain what was being done was always about our players, along with having their best interests at heart.
Hazleton Area athletic director Fred Barletta confirmed the news of Buchman’s resignation late Friday night. The school district is expected to post his position in the near future. Details about how to apply for the job will be forthcoming.
Buchman’s first Cougars team lost its opening two games in 2020, but roared back to record four straight wins on their way to a 4-3 record in the pandemic-truncated season. It marked the first time a Hazleton Area team had four consecutive wins since coach Rocco Petrone’s championship team of 2008.
Although Buchman didn’t immediately provide a specific reason for his departure, he shared his resignation letter Saturday. In it, he included a list of the Hazleton Area program’s accomplishments since he was hired amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“(We had) championship teams, players, leaders on and off the field,” he added. “Championship men were cultivated in an ambitious environment. These remarkable experiences are incredibly special moments that will be fondly remembered. .. We have a lot to be proud of.”
After Hazleton Area went 2-8 in 2023, the Cougars rebounded to finish in a four-way tie with Wilkes-Barre Area, Williamsport and Scranton atop the District 2 Class 6A standings this past season, all with identical 5-5 records. The Cougars again started 0-2, but stormed back to win four straight games, including a 26-0 triumph over the Wolfpack on Homecoming night at Harman-Geist Stadium.
Now, that run is over.
Buchman, 36, and his wife, Rachel, are the parents of two daughters, Parker, 5, and Cece, 9 months.
Still, Buchman’s Cougars were crowned District 2 champions for the first time since 2009. The 6A title was Hazleton Area’s first, as the program’s previous districts were in Class 4A. They went undefeated (10-0) on the road for the second straight regular season, the only time that was accomplished in the program’s history.
The Cougars finished the regular season with losses at Dallas and Abington Heights, then dropped a hard-fought 15-6 decision to Williamsport in the subregional semifinals.
Buchman stepped down from the latter post Friday after compiling a 31-26 record over the past five seasons, two Wyoming Valley Conference championships, one District 2-4 Class 6A subregional title and three playoff appearances.

With many of the key pieces returning the following year, expectations were high at Hazleton Area in 2022. The Cougars didn’t disappoint, brushing themselves off after midseason losses to Dallas and Crestwood and closing an 8-2 regular season with a home thumping of Berwick. Without injured starting quarterback Tyler Wolfe, they lost at Bethlehem Freedom in the District 2-4-11 Class 6A quarterfinals.