It will be an odd good-bye for Tom Pavlansky, in part because he’s not really leaving.

He is saying farewell to a program he has long called home to go to a place that has forever been his home.

One of the longest-tenured high school football coaches in the Mahoning Valley, Pavlansky is leaving Lakeview High School (as a coach, not a teacher) — a place he has called home since 1992 — for Poland, a place he has called home since birth.

The 1987 Poland graduate is taking over at a school that has a field named after his late father, Dave Pavlansky, who coached the Bulldogs from 1968 to 1978. The reunion, which will be official pending board approval on Feb. 22, is one met with bittersweet delight.

“If you say it’s home, that’s maybe too simple,” said Pavlansky of the opportunity to coach at his alma mater. “What it comes down to is I feel like I have two homes — here in Cortland with my Lakeview family, but also I have a family over over in Poland that is near and dear to my heart.”

Making the move from one to the other wasn’t easy.

Pavlansky built one of the area’s most respected programs at Lakeview, where the Bulldogs are known as much for their honorable reputation as they are their fundamental approach to the game. Pavlansky won four conference titles in going 131-98 over 22 seasons. He led Lakeview to seven playoff appearances and a memorable run to the regional final in 2007. He sent several players to major colleges and created lifelong bonds with countless players and coaches.

That meant he had a lot to weigh when the Poland job became a realistic possibility.

“It was tough,” Pavlansky said of leaving Lakeview. “It was not easy. Much thought (went into it), talking it over with my wife and kids. The Lakeview people — the players, the staff, the administrators, all of the support of the parents — the Lakeview people mean the world to me. They always will. Without their support and their efforts over the last 22 years as a head coach, opportunities like this don’t happen for me. I’m incredibly grateful to them. It was a challenging decision, but I’m looking forward to going back home to my alma mater to try to serve the Poland community and the Poland football program in a positive way.”

The Bulldogs of Poland have been going that direction for some time.

Poland possesses one of the area’s most consistent football programs. Pavlansky steps in after Ryan Williams resigned in December. Williams went 36-18 and reached the playoffs three times in five seasons, taking the Bulldogs to the state semifinal in 2019.

Before Williams, Mark Brungard was head coach at Poland, earning an 88-37 mark that included nine straight playoff appearances during his 11 seasons. Poland won a state championship in 1999 under then-coach Paul Hulea (now Leetonia’s head coach).

The lineage is long and successful, just like the Pavlanskys — all of them. While Tom was setting a standard at Lakeview, his brother, Mike, was — and still is — doing the same at Canfield, Poland’s biggest rival. Now they will share a field named after their father when they square off during the 2021 season. Tom said it all played in to his decision.

“You look at the tradition they’ve had over the last ‘X’ number of years,” Tom said of Poland. “So, that’s attractive to anybody. You look at Poland and Canfield as two communities that are very comparable. You look at that rivalry, and it means so much to both communities. It’s an opportunity to be a part of that, and I had the opportunity to experience that when I was younger. Now’s a chance to witness that obviously with my brother being at Canfield. That’s also incredibly attractive.

“We’re just looking forward to build on the great tradition of being a Poland Bulldog football player. That’s what our charge is. That’s what our mission is, and we’re going to give it our best effort.”

The move to Poland means a lot to more than just Tom.

Mike, entering his 21st season at Canfield, is excited for his brother. He does feel somewhat bad for the rest of his immediate family, who are going to be torn on how to cheer when the two play against each other. Still, there’s a level of pride both coaches — and the entire family — will achieve when the two square off on Aug. 20 (tentatively).

There will be even more added intensity in 2021 after the rivalry took two seasons off. That’s not lost on Tom and Mike, but it’s also not the main reason for enjoying this reunion at Poland.

“One of the things that (Tom’s) really looking forward to is reconnecting with the guys that played for my dad,” Mike said. “On the first day he got named the coach, one of my dad’s former players reached out to him just via email and said congratulations, and then went on and explained how our father affected him and his life. That’s what Tommy is really looking forward to, not only continuing to build the program and building on the traditions of Poland football, but really reconnecting with my dad’s players from the ’60s and ’70s.”

It all proves that good-bye as a coach usually only means see you later.