Steve LaPointe knows some will wonder if he has the energy to run the signature athletic program at Mountain Valley High School at the age of 57.
Having won his age group in a triathlon at the University of New England last weekend, LaPointe believes he can take on the challenge of replacing a coaching legend with plenty of energy to spare.
LaPointe, a long-time football assistant at Mountain Valley, has been named the school’s next varsity football coach following RSU 10 school board approval Monday night.
LaPointe, 57, has been involved with Rumford area football at some level for 35 years, including two stints as assistant to Jim Aylward, who left in February to become the new varsity football coach at Mt. Blue after serving as the school’s first football coach for 25 years.
LaPointe has also coached varsity baseball in the area for 35 years and varsity and middle school girls’ basketball.
“It’s definitely a challenge. I know I can’t fill Jim’s shoes. That’s impossible,” LaPointe said. “He’s a legend. The years working with him were so much fun.”
“I want this challenge,” he added. “I think there’s some good talent coming back. I definitely do. It’s something that I’ve thought about all this time — ‘Could I be a head coach?'”
Mountain Valley athletic director Al Cayer said he heard from several qualified candidates for the job “but we felt with Steve being a veteran coach here in various sports, plus him being involved with Jim the last however many years, that he was more than highly qualified for the head coaching position.”
LaPointe’s coaching career goes back before Rumford and Mexico high school merged to form Mountain Valley in 1989. He was an assistant for Frank Stoutamyer for one year at Rumford High School, where he also served as freshman coach. He joined Aylward’s staff in 1990. The Falcons won Western Class B titles in 1990, 1994 and 1996.
He remained on the varsity staff until 1998, then stepped down to coach his son, Tristan, in middle school for three years. He rejoined the high school staff when his son entered high school in 2000 and served as Aylward’s defensive coordinator, helping the Falcons to five regional titles and four Class B state titles in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
He filled in as head coach when Aylward missed one game in 2012 due to illness.
LaPointe is the only varsity baseball coach in Mountain Valley’s history and also coached at Rumford High School. He has over 300 career victories and led Mountain Valley to a Class B state title in 1992. In 2009, he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
He also coached girls’ varsity basketball for seven years, leading Rumford to the Class B state championship game in 1988.
Former Dirigo assistant Pat Mooney will join LaPointe’s staff as defensive coordinator, as will another Dirigo assistant, Devin Roberts, who was a running back on the Falcons’ 2006 title team. Bob Laubauskas will be the lone holdover from Aylward’s staff.
Mountain Valley has struggled on the field in recent years. Despite declining enrollment, it petitioned up to Class B, finishing with a 3-6 record in its final year in that class. Last year, it could have played Class D under the restructured format, but petitioned up to Class C and finished 1-7.
While acknowledging a merger of Mountain Valley and neighboring Dirigo may be in the future, LaPointe believes that last year was the low point for the program and is optimistic about where it is headed.
“I think long-term we can compete. I think we’ll compete next year,” he said. “We’re going to have to work hard. We’re going to have to get in the weight room. We’re going to have to commit ourselves over the summer and come in in great physical condition.”
“One word that comes to mind that we need is discipline. I don’t mean screaming and hollering discipline,” he said. “They need to know that there are consequences for their actions. We just need to create a positive culture. We’re trying to change the culture with our male athletes, back to a real positive culture and a winning culture”
LaPointe, who is a seventh-grade teacher at Mountain Valley Middle School, said he plans to meet with football players after April vacation and set the tone for the off-season.
He said players can expect changes in the offensive and defensive philosophy.
“We may be under center some, but we’re going to run some spread,” LaPointe said. “We’re going to show some different looks. We’ve got to be able to pass and run from the same formations.”
Mountain Valley also appointed a former assistant to take over the varsity boys’ soccer program, James Taylor. The school is still looking for a new wrestling coach to replace Chris Bean and a new Nordic skiing coach to replace Ray Broomhall. Both stepped down following the winter season.
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