Craig Collins is the new head football coach at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Two central Maine football programs will have new coaches this fall — and one already has its new leader in place.

Craig Collins has taken the reins at Mt. Blue, leaving Dirigo to take over for Matt Friedman, who stepped down after the 2024 season. At Maranacook, Skip Bessey is stepping away after re-establishing the Black Bears as an 11-man program.

Bessey, Maranacook’s coach for the past two seasons, recently resigned. The 56-year-old is taking a break from coaching after two decades with various youth and high school teams across central and western Maine.

“I just feel like it’s time to at least take a year off and kind of reevaluate where I want to be after this year,” said Bessey. “I’m going to miss it, but it’s been 20-plus years of coaching football, and I just needed a break.”

Bessey took over at Maranacook in 2023, replacing Jordan DeMillo. His previous stops included two stints as an assistant coach, first at Spruce Mountain from 2012-14 and then at Messalonskee, where he works as a Jobs for Maine Graduates teacher, from 2018-22.

In Bessey’s first season with Maranacook, his team went 6-3, finishing as the eight-man Small School South runner-up. Last year, the program made the jump back to the 11-man ranks and went 3-4.

“I feel like I’m leaving it in a good spot,” Bessey said. “They’re back in 11-man, which was a big step, and the numbers are looking really solid, probably in the low-to-mid-40s again. There’s a pretty good freshmen class coming in, some seniors, and the junior class is loaded.”

Bessey hasn’t ruled out a return to coaching in the future — in fact, as he informed his staff of his resignation, he told them he doesn’t think he’s finished for good. In the meantime, though, he plans to rediscover his passion for bow hunting and spend more time with his wife, Shannon.

Maranacook football coach Skip Bessey, center, instructs the team during a preseason practice last August. Bessey recently resigned, saying he needed a break. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Collins takes over at Mt. Blue after four years as the coach at Dirigo. Like Bessey, he helped the Cougars re-establish themselves as an 11-man program after Dirigo spent three seasons in the eight-man ranks from 2021-23. The Cougars went 7-2 in their first season back in 11-man football.

“It was very difficult for me (to leave),” said Collins, who was 28-10 overall at Dirigo. “The kids at Dirigo reminded me a lot of the kids when I was at Mt. Blue: hard workers who came to practice every day and wanted to compete. It was a great place, and I appreciate everything the people there did for me.”

The opportunity to coach Mt. Blue, though, was not one Collins could turn down. A 1986 Mt. Blue graduate, the 57-year-old Collins played for the Cougars under coach Ray Caldwell. He then spent 22 years as defensive coordinator at Mt. Blue from 1994-2015 under coach Gary Parlin.

Collins’ goal is to bring the Cougars, who have had just one winning season since 2016, back to their glory days — an era he knows all about. Mt. Blue was 32-9 during his time in high school, and he would later be part of coaching staffs that won an Eastern Class A title in 2005 and a Class B state championship in 2012.

“This is actually a dream job,” Collins said. “It’s wonderful (to be back). I’ve got a full staff together already, I’ve met all the kids, and they’re all excited. It’s going to take some work, but we’ve already started the work, and I’m looking to get it back to where it was.”

Collins, who lives in nearby Wilton, hopes to ultimately get a job in the Mt. Blue Regional School District. He’s the athletic director and dean of students at Spruce Mountain Middle School, positions he plans to retain for the time being.