Rockland coach Weiss attends NFL summit Poland High to make debut in Class B football

Daryle Weiss of Rockland High was among 51 varsity football coaches who participated in the fourth annual NFL Youth Football Summit during the recent 2004 Hall of Fame Weekend in Canton, Ohio.

Weiss, who was Maine’s representative to the summit, began his high school coaching career 10 years ago as an assistant at Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, N.J., where he played high school football for four years.

He has been the head coach at Rockland since 2001, and guided the Tigers to a 5-4 record last fall – the team’s first winning season since 1988.

“I was honored to be selected by the NFL to represent the state of Maine,” said Weiss, whose team opens its 2004 schedule at home against Stearns of Millinocket on Friday night.

“It was a great experience and I know the NFL will continue to grow the game through all of their youth and high school programs. I only wish all coaches could attend such a great football weekend.”

In addition to the high school coaches, more than 100 youth coaches and other supporters of youth and high school football, including former NFL players now coaching at the high school level, attended the weekend of educational seminars, which were designed to support the youth coaching community.

High school football coaches registered for an opportunity to attend the summit by entering a nomination and essay contest conducted by the NFL through its high school football Web site, www.NFLHS.com. Coaches submitted online essays in which they wrote about their coaching careers, commitment to youth and coaching philosophies. A blue-ribbon panel, consisting of local and state representatives, reviewed the essays, and 51 coaches – one from each state and Washington, D.C. – were chosen to serve as their state’s delegate at the summit.

Poland joins Western B ranks

They had just been given a football lesson by the Gorham High Rams, reigning Western Maine Class B champions.

But for the fledgling team from Poland High School, a message much more subtle figures to have longer-lasting meaning.

“A fellow who played at Mechanic Falls when they had a team came up after the game and said, ‘I’ve been waiting a long time for this,’ ” Kramer said.

Poland, a high school that opened in 1999, will make its Western B varsity debut against Lake Region at Naples on Friday night, becoming the 66th school in Maine with a Maine Principals’ Association-sanctioned program.

“The kids are all excited about playing Lake Region,” said Knights’ coach Rick Kramer, whose team plays its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 11, against Fryeburg Academy.

The addition of Poland brings to 18 the number of schools playing Class B football, and eliminates the bye week each team got last year.

This year, each Class B team will play a full nine-game schedule, eight games against teams in its region and one crossover game.

In Poland’s case, the crossover game is a Week 3 date at Old Town.

Poland High is home to students from Mechanic Falls – which had its own high school team until the 1950s – as well as Minot and Poland, all communities experiencing population growth as Greater Portland’s reach continues to extend north and west.

The school’s enrollment is approximately 575, and figures to increase with the last two freshman classes averaging 160 students.

The idea of Poland High football first was floated during the second year the school was open, but remained just an idea until two years ago, when Kramer joined the faculty as a health teacher and started a football club. Through the club, interested students participated in seven-on-seven football while learning and developing basic skills.

Last year, the school fielded a team that played a junior varsity schedule. The Knights finished 6-2, losing only to Gorham and Wells.

“After the season we surveyed the kids on whether they wanted to play another year of junior varsity level or take the leap and play varsity, and everyone said they wanted to play a varsity schedule,” Kramer said.

This year’s squad has 35 players, all with limited football experience because there is no established feeder program in the community yet. The team scrimmaged Greely of Cumberland Center and Cape Elizabeth before dropping its exhibition game against Gorham.