WINSLOW — Two longtime assistant coaches will take over the Winslow High School football program following Mike Siviski’s retirement after 35 years as head coach of the Black Raiders. Pete Bolduc and Wes Littlefield, both members of Siviski’s coaching staff for years, will be presented to the school board as interim co-head coaches for the 2020 season, according to social media posts made by athletic director Jim Bourgoin.
“Wes and I, we’ve coached together a long time,” Bolduc said, adding he expects both he and Littlefield will lean heavily on Ken Nadeau, another longtime assistant coach, during this transition season.
Under Siviski, the Black Raiders won more than 250 games and seven state championships, most recently back-to-back Class C crowns in 2014 and 2015. Last season, Winslow went 9-2 and reached the Class C North championship game.
“Having worked with Mike for 10 years, we didn’t expect this,” Bolduc said of Siviski’s retirement last Wednesday.
Wes Littlefield, left, and Pete Bolduc were recently hired as Winslow High School’s football co-coaches. Submitted photo by Mel Gagnon
Bolduc said he and Littlefield have a strong working relationship that goes back more than a decade. When Littlefield was head coach at Messalonskee High School, Boduc was his defensive coordinator.
“I was his defensive coordinator until 2010, when I came to Winslow,” Bolduc said. “The kids know us as coaches. It will be an easy transition.”
Bourgoin said normally he’d rather pick one head coach, but when he considered the long relationship between Littlefield and Bolduc, this was the right decision for the 2020 season. After the season, Winslow will conduct a coaching search, Bourgoin said.
“We’ve got the right two people. I just think (co-head coaches) was the right decision. I’d be worried about it if it wasn’t them, but they’ve worked together a long time. They’ve done it in JV games, where one coaches the offense and one coaches the defense. I think that will continue,” Bourgoin said.
Siviski was head coach at Winslow since 1985. Since 1958, the Black Raiders have had three head coaches: Wally LaFountain, Harold “Tank” Violette and Siviski. Bolduc said he doesn’t expect the tradition and commitment to football to fade at Winslow anytime soon.
“The tradition and pride has been unbelievable. The kids thrive on it,” Bolduc said.
With the coronavirus pandemic looming over everything, the question now is, what will the season look like, if it’s played at all? Monday would have been the opening day of practice for fall sports in Maine, but teams are not allowed to practice until students return to school on Sept. 8, with games coming on Sept. 18. If there’s a football season, it will be a six-game regular season rather than the traditional eight or nine games.
Bolduc said he hopes to talk with the team soon and discuss what the season could look like, and check on the well being of his players.
“Seniors, they already lost their junior spring season,” Bolduc said. “I just want to see how they’re doing mentally. That’s a big concern for everybody.”
Littlefield was unavailable for comment.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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