Indiana banking on familiar coach to get program turned around

By: Dave Mackall
Sunday, August 10, 2025 | 6:01 AM

Hey, Indiana, an old acquaintance is back in town.

Four years after setting out for Arizona, where he spent time as an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University, former longtime coach Mark Zilinskas will be back on the Indians’ sideline.

He’s hoping to jump-start a program that hasn’t enjoyed a winning season in 10 years.

“I just kind of thought I wanted to do what we did before, when we took over in 2002,” Zilinskas said. “They were coming off very similar circumstances.

He replaces Brad Wright, whose contract was not renewed following a three-year record of 6-24.

Zilinskas previously spent 25 years on Indiana’s staff — 14 as head coach — before stepping down following the 2015 season.

“I feel really blessed to get another shot at this,” he said.

His teams were a combined 68-71 with five WPIAL playoff appearances, all within a seven-year period.

“It’s surreal coming back and being in the community again,” Zilinskas said. “It’s been a very welcoming experience so far, and the kids have really responded to our message.”

After he left coaching, Zilinskas, 60, continued to teach a high school mathematics course at Indiana until retiring in 2020 following a 30-year run in the classroom to move with wife Susan to Scottsdale, Ariz., to accommodate her job.

They unexpectedly returned to Indiana in February 2024 to begin caregiving for family members.

“I didn’t really figure to be doing this when we came back, but I’m looking at it as an opportunity to help these guys develop on and off the field,” Zilinskas said. “Your focus always is to win every single game, but the real joy you get out of coaching high school football is seeing the development of the young men.

“The experiences, the relationships — that’s what truly matters.”

Indiana’s roster includes just six seniors among 44 players, including running back Elijah Thomas, the team’s leading rusher last season.

Four other seniors — slotback Graham McFarlane, guard/linebacker Trent Bufalo, center Zach Brewer and linebacker Jacob Snyder — likely will be in the lineup for the opener at Freeport.

“This team has a high ceiling. It’s a matter of how quickly we can grow,” Zilinskas said. “We’re not there yet.”

A youthful roster could hasten the growing pains that continue to plague Indiana’s slumping program. In spite of it, sophomore quarterback Jason Strack, who played sparingly last season, has impressed Zilinskas in the preseason.

Add sophomore wide receiver Tyler Nelson, who likely will be a primary target of Strack’s.

“He runs good routes and has very good ball skills,” Zilinskas said. “He’s very precise when it comes to those things, so he should be able to help us.”

Two-way lineman Darius Webb, slotback Roman Jones and linebacker Jackson Higgins, all juniors — like Thomas — bring experience to the Indians.

Webb and sophomore two-way lineman Colt Bish (6-5, 215) have been already attracting college attention.

“(Webb) is such an athletic kid. He’ll turn some heads,” Zilinskas said. “(Bish) is only a sophomore, but as he grows into his body, I look for him to be a special player as well.”

Meanwhile, Higgins is a welcome addition to the Indians after missing last season with a knee injury.

Like in his first stint at Indiana, Zilinskas has employed a flexbone offense.

“We ran it for years and we’ll be running it again,” he said. “We’ve been working hard to mesh the quarterback with the fullback. That’s something you can’t master in a week or two, so we got started on that very early.”

Despite the clamor for a long-awaited winning season amid Zelinskas’ return, his passion for the players’ well-being resonates as much as anything else.

“These kids have really grown on me,” Zelinskas said. “I have a sincere interest in them, not only as football players, but as people.”

Indiana

Coach: Mark Zilinskas

2024 record: 1-9, 0-5 in Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference

All-time record: 456-454-36

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 at Freeport, 7

8.29 at Ringgold, 7

9.5 at Chartiers Valley, 7

9.12 Laurel Highlands, 7

9.19 Derry, 7

9.26 Knoch*, 7

10.3 at Hampton*, 7

10.10 at West Mifflin*, 7

10.17 McKeesport*, 7

10.24 Mars*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Quinn Lipniskis*

28-73, 205 yards, 1 TD

Rushing: Elijah Thomas

85-306 yards, 3 TDs

Receiving: Parker Bowersox*

16-121 yards, 0 TDs

* Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Coach Mark Zilinskas, in his second stint at Indiana, inherits a program that hasn’t produced a .500 record in 10 seasons. Indiana’s nine losses in 2024 were the most since 2001, a year before Zilinskas first began coaching the team.

• Only two WPIAL teams’ scoring offenses were worse than Indiana’s 6.2 points per game — Beaver Falls (5.0) and Brownsville (5.2).

• Prior to his first coaching tour at Indiana, Zilinskas was a graduate assistant at Division II IUP, his alma mater. He also served as an assistant at Division III Muskingum, and for a time, was on the staff of Independence (Ohio) High School.

• Zilinskas’ son, Jacob Zilinskas, is a former quarterback/defensive back at Indiana who attended Division III John Carroll before transferring to Pitt as a walk-on. At the start of his redshirt sophomore year in 2018, he was switched to tight end, and he was awarded a scholarship for his senior year in 2020.

Tags: Indiana