First, Jack Brady had to convince the Mt. View High School football it could win. Then, he had to convince them they could do it again, and again.

“There’s a mindset you get when you lose games by large margins,” Brady, who recently completed his fourth season as head coach at Mt. View. “You start to wonder if you have it in you to be a winner.”

This season, the Mustangs finally turned the corner. After winning just three games in four seasons, Mt. View went 6-3 in 2011, earning the No. 4 seed in the Little Ten Conference playoffs and reaching the postseason for the first time.

For leading Mt. View to its best season yet, Jack Brady in the Morning Sentinel Football Coach of the Year. John Hersom of Lawrence, who led the Bulldogs to the Class A state championship game, and Skowhegan’s Mike Marston, who helped the Indians rebound from a 1-7 record in 2010 to 5-4 and playoff contention this season, also were considered.

“He always had a lot of confidence in us,” Taylor Reynolds, a senior tight end/defensive end said of Brady. “He always built everybody up.”

In the offseason, Brady began to think the Mustangs could make a big leap forward this season.

“I was really looking forward to this year. I knew if they stayed with it and worked hard, they could be a good football team,” Brady said.

The first test of the season came in Week 1, and for the Mustangs, it set the tone for the entire year. Playing at home against defending LTC champion Stearns, Mt. View won 14-6, their first win in a tight game.

“Stearns wasn’t quite the same team they were a year ago, but they had that look in their eye. They’ve played close games,” Brady said. “Our kids were a little shocked. But they started to recognize they weren’t playing up to their ability, and they fought and won. That made more of a turnaround than any other game.”

Added Reynolds: “After that first game, we knew we could compete.”

One of Brady’s biggest assets, Reynolds said, is to include the entire team in any accolades.

“He’s not just congratulating one player, but the whole team, all the time,” Reynolds said.

After a 16-2 loss to eventual league champ Bucksport dropped Mt. View’s record to 2-2, the Mustangs won four consecutive games to close the regular season.

“We just had some real determination,” Brady said. “At first, the boys set their goal to make the playoffs. As the season went on, they changed that goal to host a playoff game. They were able to do it.”

Although Mt. View losses 14 seniors who contributed a great deal to this season’s success, Brady thinks the team can continue to build and remain strong.

“I’m excited for next year and what might happen for us,” Brady said.

Added Reynolds: “Now that we have a feeder program and youth football, Mt. View should always be competitive.”

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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