OLD TOWN – The Old Town High School football program has taken another step in its rebuilding process with the hiring of Josh Curtis as the Coyotes’ head coach.

Curtis, whose nomination was approved this week by the local school board, replaces George “Toogie” McKay, who resigned after last season.

An Old Town graduate, Curtis has five years of experience as an assistant varsity football coach at his alma mater, in 1999 and 2000 and 2003 through 2005. He also served as the school’s varsity swimming coach in 2003 and was a volunteer coach for that team last winter.

One important factor in Curtis’ hiring is that he is a teacher at the high school – he has taught art and technology there for the last six years and also serves as Student Council adviser – and will be able to maintain considerable contact with current and potential football players throughout the school year.

“To start my duties, I need to get the word out that Old Town football is starting a new era,” said Curtis, who lives in Old Town with his wife and two young children. “I hope to be able to coach for years to come.”

Old Town has struggled on the gridiron since making its last postseason appearance in 1997, with lack of success and dwindling enrollment – a loss of nearly 200 students in the last five years – fostering a significant dip in the number of players participating in football at the high school level.

As a result, Old Town will move from the Pine Tree Conference Class B ranks to LTC Class C play next fall, a commitment of at least three years in which the Coyotes will be ineligible for postseason play because it is a “B” enrollment school.

School officials and football fans in the community hopes the move, along with the hiring of Curtis, will help the program return to a more competitive level. They also are hopeful the hiring of a teacher from within the school system to lead the program will end a revolving door of coaches – Curtis will be the Coyotes’ fifth head coach in the last four years.

“I have been in Old Town for many years,” said Curtis, who was on the football, swimming and tennis teams while a student for three years at Old Town. “I know what this quiet town has to offer and I want my children to have these amazing opportunities that I had.”

“I hope to start a lifting program, exercise habits and hope to encourage proper eating. And after all of these are accomplished, most important I hope to make kids enjoy football and just maybe they will love it the way that I have.”

Tennis Hawks still soaring

Hermon’s girls tennis team is in familiar position as the regular season winds down – hovering near the top of the Eastern Maine Class B standings.

Coach Lee Cliff’s Hawks, ranked third in the latest Heal points, are 10-0 with two matches remaining.

And it’s a familiar cast of players leading the way – in fact, all seven starting singles and doubles players are in at least their second straight year of varsity competition.

Hermon finished 12-1 last spring, earning the top seed in Eastern B before being upended by No. 9 Mount Desert Island 3-2 in the regional quarterfinals.

This year the Hawks hope their additional experience will help them advance far deeper into the playoffs, though other contenders such as top-ranked Waterville, Camden Hills of Rockport and Presque Isle will be primary challengers.

Hermon’s three singles players are coming off a big weekend of individual competition, with Amanda Ellis, Jill Ingalls and Meagan Keith all advancing to the state singles Round of 40 competition scheduled for May 30 at Bates College in Lewiston.

Ellis and Ingalls qualified for the third straight year, while Keith will be making her first trip to the Round of 40.

In addition, Hermon’s first doubles tandem of Amanda Coleman and Molly Ingalls sport a 9-1 record, while Kate DeCoste and Melissa Cliff are unbeaten at second doubles.

Hermon’s program also figures to get a boost for future years with the construction of four new courts at the school to replace cracked courts that were unplayable in recent years.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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