A new era of football at Poland Regional High School begins in the fall. And it will begin with a new head coach.

Mark Soehren resigned Monday after accepting a science teaching position at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School last Friday. He held a similar position at Poland.

Soehren also stepped down as outdoor track coach, a position he’d held since 2002.

He said he considered staying on for the upcoming season, but after meeting with co-curricular director Don King, decided the time might be right for a change.

“It was sort of a mutual decision,” Soehren said. “It’s an exciting time for Poland football with the move to Class C and bringing in lights and it might be the right time to attract qualified candidates.”

The football position is being advertised, but King said the program should be in good hands until a new head coach is found. All but one member of the assistant coaches remain and the staff recently added Charlie Yancey, a defensive coordinator with the Legend High School Titans in Parker, CO.

“Mark worked hard to build something and I think someone else gets the chance to reap the rewards,” he said.

In three seasons at the football helm, Soehren compiled a 4-23 record with the Knights in Class B of the Campbell Conference. But the Knights finished last season by winning two of their last four games, and the two losses, to playoff teams Falmouth and Wells, were by a combined 12 points. They finished the season 2-7.

Soehren called the decision to resign bittersweet because the program finished strong last season and is set up well for the future.

“They’re definitely in a good spot,” he added. “The kids are motivated. We did some leadership stuff with them and the kids are all in weightlifting. We’re doing 7-on-7 this year, which we really wanted but didn’t do last year, and we have some clinics and some youth clinics and coaching clinics set up. I think whoever comes in has a pretty solid group of kids to work with and the numbers are really good.”

Soehren said 47 students have signed up for football. Last year, that number was around 30. He attributed that to the strong 2010 season, plus excitement over the installation of lights at Poland and optimism over the move to Class C.

“I think it is a good place for Poland competitively,” he said. “There are some real good teams in Class C and I think the participation rates in Class C are right on par with Poland.”

King said the loss of Soehren will be felt beyond the football and track programs. He called Soehren a “go-to guy” among his coaches, running the summer weightlifting program and speed camps for all athletes.

“It’s a tough loss for not just his football kids and his track kids, but for all of the kids,” King said.

Soehren, who has three children entering kindergarten and first and third grades in the fall, said he sought the job at Oxford Hills because of the budget unrest in RSU 16.

“The community should know that it does affect the choices that professionals in the district are making,” he said.

King, who is also looking for a varsity boys’ soccer coach for this fall, hopes the lack of a budget going into the next school year doesn’t make filling coaching positions more difficult.

“I do think it impacts our programs,” he said. “As positions are opened, I would hope people don’t second-guess whether they should stay or whether they should apply.”

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