Dexter Regional High School opened preseason soccer practices this week with two new varsity coaches.

Peter Murray, the Tigers’ longtime boys varsity basketball coach, is the school’s new boys varsity coach. He replaces Paul Shaw, who stepped down after six years to focus on his duties as the school’s athletic administrator.

Murray had been Shaw’s assistant coach for the last four seasons, and previously had served a stint as Dexter’s girls varsity soccer coach.

Dexter won two Eastern Maine Class C championships under Shaw’s guidance in 2003 and 2005. The Tigers finished atop the divison’s regular-season standings last fall with a 12-0-2 record, and advanced to the semifinals before being ousted by eventual regional champion Madawaska.

Kit Welch takes over as Dexter’s girls soccer coach from Charlie Wing.

Welch, a math teacher at the school, most recently coached at the middle school level at Dexter, and she also has previous coaching experience in Lincoln, Shaw said.

Welch will be assisted by Karen Murray, Peter Murray?s wife.

The Dexter girls soccer squad finished with a 7-5-2 regular-season record last fall, then fell to Searsport in the Eastern C quarterfinals.

Bonsant moves to Cony

Cony High School of Augusta has completed a summer of transition within its basketball staff by hiring Tim Bonsant as its new boys varsity coach.

Bonsant comes to Cony from his alma mater, Erskine Academy in South China, where he guided the Eagles to a 150-103 record over 13 seasons, including 10-9 in postseason play.

Bonsant led Erskine to the 2004 Class B state championship, as well as appearances in the Eastern Maine Class B championship game in both 2000 and 2003.

His Erskine teams had nine winning seasons, with two of the sub-.500 years coming in 2006 and 2007, when the Eagles moved up to Eastern Maine Class A.

Erskine dropped back down to Class B last winter and finished 10-8 before falling at Caribou in a preliminary-round contest.

Bonsant replaces Bruce Hunt, who resigned on July 21 after 15 years as Cony’s head coach.

Earlier this summer, Cony hired Karen Sirois as its new girls varsity basketball coach, replacing longtime mentor Paul Vachon.

Vachon stepped down after 22 seasons to become the school’s athletic administrator.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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