A fixture in Maine high school football is ending his run.

John Hersom, who led Lawrence to five state championship games over 20 seasons, confirmed he stepped down as the Bulldogs head coach on Thursday. Hersom, a physical education teacher at Lawrence High School, will serve as an assistant under his son Jack, who was recently named the head coach at Bangor High.

“(Jack) reached out to me a short while ago, wondered what it would be like for me to take an opportunity to go up and work with him,” Hersom said. “It is unique, but it’s hard to say no to your family. We’re going to try to see how it goes. I’m sure we’ll work well together.

“Someday, I’ll probably decide that I’ve had enough of (coaching). Right now, I’ve plenty of fuel in my tank.”

Hersom, 67, a former football standout at Edward Little High School in Auburn and the University of Maine, had coaching stints at Morse and Messalonskee, but enjoyed his most success at Lawrence.

Hersom said he addressed the Bulldogs on Thursday morning.

“They kind of know that, ‘Coach isn’t bailing out on us,'” Hersom said. “You definitely get attached, to all the kids really, because I’m a teacher (at Lawrence).”

Jack Hersom, 36, was hired as Bangor’s head coach last month, after the resignation of former head coach David Morris. Jack Hersom has been an assistant at Bangor for 14 seasons, including 10 as offensive coordinator. The father-son duo have coached against one another several times.

“I’m just thrilled, to be honest with you,” Jack Hersom said. “I’m just happy to have the opportunity to coach with him. I’ve had to coach against him for several years and that was tough on us. It’s good to have him on our sideline for sure.”

Jack Hersom said his father’s 40-plus years of experience will be a valuable asset on a young coaching staff at Bangor.

“It’s a cool full-circle moment for me. It’s always been a dream of mine to coach with my dad in this capacity. I’m grateful for that opportunity, for sure.”

John Hersom led the Bulldogs to a 14-13 victory over Gorham for the Class A championship in 2006. It was the fourth Gold Ball in program history. Hersom said getting to share that season with his three sons — Jack, Mike and Tom — is one of his favorite memories at Lawrence.

“That’s unique, you don’t get to do that very often,” Hersom said. “I think that would be one of the high moments for my coaching at Lawrence.”

“(That season) is something I still think about quite a bit,” added Jack Hersom, who won the Fitzpatrick Trophy in 2007 as the top senior football player in Maine. “Not only to share that with my dad, but also with my brothers, who were both seniors that year. The three of us kind of playing for him and capping it off with a state championship was kind of storybook for our family.”

Though the Bulldogs have not won a state title since, John Hersom continued to lead the program to success, winning a total five regional titles, the most recent in 2023. He led the program to 11 regional championship games, the last in 2024. The Bulldogs finished last season 5-5, falling 34-13 to Fryeburg Academy in the Class B North semifinals.

“The other (factor), I wanted to leave the program in a good place so when another person comes in, they’ve got some good, committed kids that are excited to play football,” Hersom said. “I didn’t want to leave at the wrong time. I think the timing of this was pretty good, to be able to coach with my son and leave the program in a good position.”

He got his start in high school coaching at Morse in Bath from 1986-89, before taking an assistant role at Messalonskee in Oakland. Two years later, Hersom took over as head coach of the Eagles, going 57-49 over 11 seasons, with six playoff appearances.

“He is going to leave a very big hole in the (Lawrence) community,” said Messalonskee coach Blair Doucette, who was a quarterback under Hersom from 1994-95. “I think it’s going to take a really good coach to come in and fill his shoes. He’s just a legendary guy who works his (tail) off. He does everything he can for kids in the community and is a true role model to everyone he coaches.

“I kind of attribute everything I’ve done as a player and as a coach, trying to seek his approval and do the things that he did,” Doucette added. “I know — playing for him and coaching against him — whether it’s a Monday practice or the state championship, he’s going to bring the same energy and never wavers.”

Hersom was raised in a football family. His father, Lawrence “Doc” Hersom led Edward Little to three state championships (1972, 1976, 1977) between 1966-1980. John’s twin brother, Jim, has also had success as a high school coach, leading Livermore Falls to a Class C West title in 1992, and Edward Little to a Class A East championship in 2002. Jim Hersom is currently an assistant under Brian Jahna at Edward Little.

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