READFIELD — Joe Emery acknowledged he had plenty of learning to do after his first season as Maranacook Community High School football coach in the fall 2009.

“The first year we kept our offense basic and I concentrated on the defense,” he said. “The next year I concentrated on the offense but the defense suffered a bit. This year, we put it all together.”

Maranacook finished 7-3 this season and reached the semifinals of the Campbell Conference’s Class C division. For leading the program to one of the best seasons the program enjoyed in two decades, Emery is the Kennebec Journal Football Coach of the Year.

Gardiner first-year coach Matt Burgess was also considered.

“I’ve learned a lot in the last few years,” Emery said. “We learned we had to really study in the offseason. We got to know the teams we played. We studied in the offseason. We’ve been to a whole bunch of clinics. We brought together the whole Maranacook coaching community. We got the kids in the weight room.”

He also implemented a summer football camp, which an abundance of players attend.

“It’s huge,” he said. “We’re really proud to be able to do that.”

Emery, who calls the offense and defense, faced a few challenges this season.

For starters, he had to find the right positions for the right players, some of whom were new to the program this year.

“The biggest challenge is that in Class C every kid has to know two or three positions,” he said. “We had to get the kids in the right spots. I did a pretty good job of that this year. I’ve made my share of mistakes, too. The thing is that is so important, in an eight-game season, the margin of error is so short. It’s a balancing act. You have to do what is best for the team.”

Emery said the other challenge he faced is proving his passion to the team.

“The kids have to know you care,” he said. “They can see through you in a heartbeat. They feed off it.”

Senior captain linebacker Ian Palmer agreed, saying it was easy to get pumped to play for Emery.

“He loves the game,” he said. “Before every game he was probably one of the most pumped-up guys on the field. Everyone could tell. When you have that much enthusiasm, it just carries on to other people. It was fun playing for him.”

When the season ended with a semifinal loss to Traip, Emery wasted little time preparing for 2012.

The offseason weight lifting program is already in place, as are new schemes.

“I’m still learning,” Emery said. “I still make mistakes, but I’m always ready for next year. We’re growing as a group. We’re already looking at different stuff for next year, maybe a little Wing-T. We still have room to improve, but we’re all getting better.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

 

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