Penquis’ Bissell making varsity coaching debut Veteran youth mentor takes over Patriot girls

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Jensen Bissell has virtually no idea of how his soccer team is coming along.

As a first-year girls varsity soccer coach at Penquis High in Milo, Bissell knows his team is good to work with, and receptive to the new soccer concepts he’s introduced.

But because this is his first season as a varsity coach – Bissell was hired this summer – he’s got nothing to compare to.

“I don’t have a clue,” Bissell said with a laugh. “I really just haven’t done this long enough to have a sense of where we are.”

What he does have, however, is a lot of soccer experience. Bissell played about 10 years of adult soccer clubs when he was living in Oregon in the late 1970s, and after moving to Maine in 1986 he has coached youth teams in Milo for around 10 years.

“He’s going to do a great job,” Penquis athletic director Tony Hamlin said. “He’s just a soccer nut.”

Bissell has wanted to get into coaching at the high school for several years but couldn’t get his work schedule to mesh with coaching duties.

This year, everything worked out.

“I’ve always thought it would be fun,” said Bissell, who is the Baxter State Park resource manager.

Although the Patriots graduated a strong group of three-sport standout seniors – Penquis made it to the Eastern Maine Class C title game, which the Patriots lost to George Stevens on penalty kicks – the current group is open to learning what Bissell has to teach.

“We’re adding some new things,” he said. “… Different defenses, things they’ve never done before.”

Bissell does have education experience – he spent seven years on the SAD 41 school board, including three as the chairman.

Bissell replaces Kerrie Alley, who moved to her native Fort Fairfield after the 2001 soccer season ended.

Springer returning to Old Town

Longtime Old Town High girls swimming coach Doug Springer has returned to coach at the school after a three-year absence.

This time, he’ll head up the boys’ team, replacing Matt Byther, who resigned following last season.

But Springer said he’ll rely on Byther a bit.

“I’m sure I’ll get his expertise,” Springer said. “We’ll sit down and chat.”

Springer led the Indians to six consecutive Class B girls state championships and three state runner-up titles in 10 years. He resigned after the 1998-99 season to follow his daughter Tristan’s swimming career at West Virginia Wesleyan University.

“I’ve had a chance to see her in [Bluegrass Mountain Conference] championships every year,” said Springer, who was the Old Town-Orono YMCA executive director before retiring last year.

Now that Tristan is a senior, and with the boys’ job open, Springer decided to get back into coaching.

“I thought I’d try [the boys] for a change,” he said.

Marshall heading to BC

Catherine McAuley High point guard Sarah Marshall will play basketball for Boston College next year.

The 5-foot-7 senior made a verbal commitment to the Big East school in late July, McAuley coach Liz Rickett said.

Marshall has a full scholarship, Rickett added.

Rickett said Marshall got a lot of attention this summer playing for an AAU team based in Nashua, N.H. and had offers from 15 schools. She narrowed it down to BC, Vanderbilt, Kansas State and Vermont.

Aside from the distance – Boston is around two hours from Marshall’s home in Falmouth – and the good academic reputation, Rickett said the chance to play immediately also swayed Marshall.

She will likely serve as the first point guard off the bench.

“[BC] lost their starting point guard and they don’t really have a back-up,” Rickett said. “Sarah will be able to step in and contribute and give them some minutes.”

Marshall, a first-team All-Mainer, is considered one of the top point guards in the state. She led the Lions to the Class A state championship, averaged 19 points and five steals per game, and had better than a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She shot 52.2 from the field, 49.4 from 3-point range, 80 from the free-throw line.

Boston College finished third in the Big East conference last year and had a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, but lost in the first round.

Two of Marshall’s All-Maine teammates have also made verbal commitments: Mount Desert Island’s Bracey Barker and Cony of Augusta’s Ashley Underwood have both said they will attend UMaine next year.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.