Family matters come first for Bob LeCours, so he is leaving his post as head football coach at Skowhegan Area High School after six years to take a similar position at Lecanto High School in Citrus County on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The move will enable LeCours to be closer to his two daughters, who live with their mother about 20 miles from Lecanto in neighboring Hernando County.

“I’ve had a great run here,” said LeCours, “but this is what I have to do as a parent.”

LeCours guided Skowhegan to a 32-26 record and three playoff appearances during his tenure. The Indians finished 5-4 last season.

“I’m leaving with a heavy heart,” LeCours said. “The kids here have been great. It’s been an emotional week for me.”

Before coming to Skowhegan, the 42-year-old LeCours coached for one year at Fryeburg Academy and four years at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield.

LeCours expects to leave Maine within the next 30 days to take a job as a world history teacher and football coach at Lecanto High, a school of more than 1,400 students.

Spring football begins there May 1, with 20 days of practice scheduled.

“Being on the staff in March will give me a good chance to get acquainted with the kids before spring football, and to begin to assemble a coaching staff,” said LeCours.

LeCours replaces Dick Slack, who stepped down after compiling a 24-67 record over nine years. During his tenure, Lecanto had just one winning season (2001) and one playoff berth (1999).

Slack remains the school’s athletic director.

“When I talked with the athletic director, he told me the school was built in 1982 and they’ve had just one winning season since then,” said LeCours. “My major jobs going in will be to solidify the numbers in the program and make football fun.”

No one has been named yet to succeed LeCours at Skowhegan.

Biddeford’s Bourassa wins Fitzy

Biddeford High School quarterback and defensive back Phil Bourassa was named winner of the 33rd Fitzpatrick Trophy, symbolic of the state’s top senior high school football player, during ceremonies in Portland on Sunday night.

Bourassa was selected over fellow finalists Joe Marsh of Deering High School in Portland and Phil Warren of Brunswick. Bourassa, the seventh Biddeford player to receive the award, previously was named winner of the 2003 Gatorade Circle of Champions high school football player of the year for Maine.

Last fall he amassed 2,325 total yards while leading Biddeford to a 10-1 record and a berth in the Western Maine Class A championship game. He rushed for 1,025 yards and 11 touchdowns, and passed for 1,300 yards and 15 TDs before being injured on the second-half kickoff of the Western A final, a game Biddeford lost to Deering.

Also recognized during Sunday’s ceremony were seven other players who earned semifinalist status: Nick Arthers of Belfast, Mike Prentiss of Bangor, Josh Withee of Foxcroft Academy, Nate Bolduc of Mt. Blue of Farmington, Jared Walker of Skowhegan, Nate Munzing of Gardiner and Luke Sibley of Wells.

Snowman wins volleyball honor

Kelsy Snowman, a senior from Woodland High School, has been named the Gatorade Circle of Champions Maine high school girls volleyball player of the year.

Snowman had 221 assists, 87 kills, 50 digs, and three blocks this season while leading the Dragons to a berth in the state championship match. The first-team all-state choice also was an 89 percent server.

“Kelsy is the consummate hustler and is very crafty around the net, keeping the opposition off balance with her ability to set, kill, or dump the ball to the open spot,” said Woodland coach Rich Nutter.

Snowman, an A-student, is the second Woodland player in the last three years to win the Gatorade honor. She joins former Dragon Katie Holmes, who won the award in 2002.

Mainers walk to success

Several Maine high school and collegiate racewalkers had success recently in one-mile events at Brown University in New Haven, Conn., and Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

Anne Favolise of Columbia won the women’s one-mile racewalk at the recent Dartmouth College Relays in a time of 7 minutes, 31.51 seconds. Mainers swept the six medal positions, with Carly Lochala of New Sharon (7:49.26), Lauren Forgues of Boothbay (8:09.27), University of Maine- Farmington freshman Kate Dickinson of South Berwick (8:13.66), Helen Pottle of Eastport (8:20.58) and Jessie Smith of Farmington (8:28.26) finishing in positions 2-6.

Marissa Hessert of Caribou (9:32.99), Julia Crosby of Turner (9:38.71) and Heather Cyr of Farmington (9:54.59) captured the next three slots.

In the boys race, Troy Clark of Lisbon (7:01.91), Kyle Libby of Turner (7:52.76), Daniel Prendergast of Caribou, who recently returned from the Philippines on active duty with the Marines (8:05.02), Padric Gleason of Dresden (8:09.28), Aaron Whitten of Farmington (8:18.95) and Mark Dennett of Winthrop, a freshman at Sacred Heart University (8:18.95), swept positions 3-8.

Mainers finished 3-6 in the girls one-mile racewalk at the Brown University Relays. Forgues was third in 8:06.05, followed by Lochala (8:16.43), Smith (8:19.85), and Renee Fortin of Raymond (8:22.27). In the boys race Clark (7:24.95), Libby (7:54.62), Whitten (8:47.39), and Gleason (8:47.61) captured positions 2-5.

The Maine participants in the Brown race all qualified for the Nike Indoor Classic high school national indoor championships to be held in Landover, Md., on March 13 and the National Scholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships to be held in New York City on March 14.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net