Barry Terrill reaped many benefits from his experience as a football player at Orono High School.

The former all-state lineman, who won a state championship with the Red Riots in 1996, hopes to establish that same winning attitude as the head coach at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.

John Bapst athletic director Mike Thomas confirmed Friday that the 22-year-old Terrill has been hired to replace Matt Clark, who stepped down from the post earlier this summer.

Terrill, who served as an assistant for the Crusaders last fall after two years on the Orono staff, is thrilled to have the chance to be John Bapst’s head coach.

“This is what I want to be doing, so this is a great opportunity. I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon,” said the likeable Terrill, who is a senior majoring in history at the University of Maine.

Terrill, citing the efforts of former coaches Clark and Bruce Pratt, is determined to help rebuild the John Bapst program and make it a consistent contender.

“My number one goal is to bring back some respect to the John Bapst football program,” Terrill said. “It’s something we really started last year as the main goal.”

John Bapst has gone 0-9 in each of the last two seasons and is 1-26 since going 5-5 and reaching the LTC Class C playoffs in 1997.

Thomas, who said John Bapst did have a handful of other applicants, believes Terrill is the best fit for the program right now and hopes he might provide some needed continuity.

“It seemed like the right time to bring him up. He knows the kids, he knows the program, and he has a real good handle on where he wants it to go,” Thomas said.

“He’s a little bit to the laid-back side, but he’s one of those guys that if you’re a kid, when he speaks, you listen,” he added. “The kids like him. He has an aura of respect.”

Having worked at Bapst last season and supervised the Crusaders’ weight room since Clark’s resignation, Terrill is counting on a smooth transition to him and the new staff, which has not been finalized. However, he knows there is work to be done.

“The last couple years, through the hard work of Bruce Pratt and Matt Clark, the numbers are at a stable point right now,” Terrill said. “We’re going to focus on working hard and getting ready to compete week in and week out.”

Terrill credits former Orono coach Bob Lucy with providing him with a strong football foundation and fostering a passion for the game.

“I certainly learned a lot from him. He’s been an important part of me getting into coaching,” Terrill said. “He was a good role model.”

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity, to kind of give something back and turn John Bapst into the kind of program Orono was when I was there,” he added.

Terrill, who plans to get a teaching certificate, was a three-year starter at tackle for the Riots from 1994 to ’96. He coached the girls JV basketball team last season at John Bapst and also has coached middle school baseball.