OLD TOWN, Maine — Steve Calande, who worked during the last two years to rebuild the Old Town High School football program, is leaving that post to take a teaching and coaching job out of state.
Calande said he tendered his resignation to school officials Monday, and while he did not name his new destination he said it would allow him to live closer to where he grew up as well as be near some aging relatives.
Calande said his new job will be both as a physical education teacher and a coach.
“What I’ve really been looking for is to get back into teaching,” said Calande, a father of four children who had worked as an educational technician at the Southern Penobscot Regional Program in Old Town since taking the Old Town football post after a two-year coaching stint in Boothbay.
Calande also has coached middle school baseball and basketball while in Old Town.
Calande came to the Canoe City in 2010 as the football team’s sixth coach in eight years. He immediately installed a double-wing offense and guided the Coyotes — a program that had gone 4-62 between 2002 and 2009 — to a 5-3 record in the LTC Class C ranks, the team’s first winning season since 1997.
Old Town moved back up to Class B in 2011 after voluntarily dropping to Class C for the previous three years in an effort to preserve the struggling program. The Coyotes finished 2-6 in Pine Tree Conference Class B play last fall despite an offense that averaged 34 points per game.
“From the Xs and Os side these kids know what they’re doing,” Calande said. “We repped the daylights out of it so most of the kids can do what we do in their sleep.”
During his tenure at Old Town, Calande also helped establish a parents’ boosters group called the Touchdown Club and started a before-school workout program for students called GUTS, which stands for “Get up, train and succeed.”
“I really feel good about the situation here,” Calande said.
Increasing the number of football players in the Old Town system also was a priority.
“In the first year we had a pretty good turnout,” Calande said. “We carried right around 40 players, though with injuries we dropped to as low as 26 at one point. But we had 38 to 42 players again last year.
“We had a large freshman class with 17 kids last year, and there’s some talent there.”
Calande added that the commitment of the current Old Town football players was reflected in the turnout for offseason open gym workouts.
“We had 75 workouts in the weight room where anyone in the school could come in,” he said. “And we had 85 percent participation from the football guys.”
School officials will have to move fairly quickly to find a replacement for Calande, with preseason practices set to begin in less than three months.
One candidate is expected to be current varsity assistant coach Lance Cowan.
Cowan only rumored by the man that is “stepping down”. Will be good to get a coach that is a little more respected by the players, parents and the community! Maybe a coach that doesnt go for it on 4th and long 75% of the time and doesnt onside kick it EVERY TIME!!! Come on, who does that?????
Going for it on 4th down and utilizing the on-sides kick all the time is a typical strategy that goes along with the double wing offense and used by coaches across the nation who employ this style of offensive attack. They want maximum possession of the ball to shorten the game for their opponent. It’s certainly not conventional by any standard, but it forces teams to prepare for something they aren’t likely to see on a weekly basis.
I’d be willing to bet you wouldn’t be griping so much about the coaching strategy if OT was able to stay down in Class C (unfortunately for the Coyotes their school population was too high to compete at that level) where it probably would have contended for the LTC championship last season.
Ahhh no i would not want them in class C, so you lost that bet. And you may be correct about the strategy of the double wing, but the fact that the onside kick never worked, players were sick of it and other coaches around the state made fun of it pretty much proves that his strategy didnt work and will not work. Also, you pretty much proved by point about the double wing, it will not wokr in class B and another point about the onside kick, you mentioned that teams are not likely to see it each week, well these days they have game films, and coaches talk and they all pretty much know he does it every time.
A friend of mine’s son played for Caliente during his senior year at Old Town H.S. This coach came in after years and years of losing and wanted to put his name on the program, which based on the record he certainly did. However its a shame for the many seniors that got pushed aside when he took over that went through 2 a day practices in the heat and worked hard, only to be benched when he took over because he wanted to build a foundation with the young kids. There was Zero Loyalty by this coach, something i have seen from other Maine coaches as well, expcially Bob Sinclair at Orono. Football is the toughest sport to practice for, and with games only being once per week, much of the week is spent on preperation. These kids deserved better and i am sure the school he goes to will realize that as well.
Coaches want a winning team and receive pressure from schools to produce wins. Showing up to practice isn’t enough, if you’re not a top performer, you get benched. You might not like it, but this is LIFE.
Couldnt agree agree with you more hahaha yessah!
If you refuse to punt…and utilize the on sides kick every single time…there is NO element of suprise! So every team you go against will be prepared for it!
Great..they averaged 34 points per game…how about the games they lost or were totally blown out of because of this practice of never punting and always using the on-sides kick??? How about putting the kids in a position to win? Oh, and never practicing defense..is that a standard of the double wing attack also? I’m sorry but isnt defense part of the game???? But I guess Defense and Special Teams aren’t important.
and also….i think another EXPERIENCED coach is needed. One that can also possibly be in the school system and form a connection with the kids and community. You have to keep the kids interested!
It may be to late to have a coach switch up the offense and have an impact with such a short time before the season starts. Old Town does have kids that are willing to put in the time and could be a contender in the near future. I’m not sure who is going to apply for this post other than Coach Lance Cowan as the paper states. I know there has been about 12 head coaching jobs open this year and most of those have been filled. Hopefully they pick someone who is committed to the program and the community that wants to stay.
Its not a matter of switching up the offense…More about the other things that were mentioned. I think plenty of coaches will be interested in taking a shot at this program!
couldnt agree more, and i do know of a few QUALIFIED coaches looking into this job, and a couple of them can actually work in the school system which is beneficial. They dont need to change the O, but maybe practice D and not onside kick it EVERY TIME. Teams know its coming, it didnt work for them and it really doesnt give the team( kids) a chance. Things will get better and I dont see Cowan in the picture.
Just a few questions hahahayessah, what do you consider qualified? Are there any teaching positions open, and are there any other people involved with the program now who might be interested or qualified?
yes some teaching positions will be open. I guess as far as qualified, i really meant someone who can be there all the time, knows kids in general and it would probably be best to have some head coaching experience, because we all know that it is much more than just “coaching” that coaches do these days!
Yeah, if it was just the x’s and 0’s then it would be easier to hire a coach. The head coach though, has to take care of just as many duties off the field if not more than on. They are a role model for the kids as well. I know of a few people around the program that do care about the kids, the community, and will support a new coach that will do the same. hahahayessah and OT74 sound llike they care as well. Maybe apply?
maybe.?.?.?
Maybe as an assistant if my job allows it..Its hard if you do not have a teachers schedule. That’s why I believe the head coach needs to be in the school so he can form a real connection with the kids
Well the one thing about Schilmoeller is he is using his name allowing you to make your accusations because you obviously know him. You are right, he doesn’t know who you are so can’t make an accurate assesment. The real deal here is OT needs someone who cares about the kids, knows the kids, knows football, and will be committed long term. Not someone looking to put it on their resume. I for one, hope they do well.
I heard that a someone who would be very well qualified is interested. Was recently head coach at Livermore Falls.
Let me get this straight, the current coach took a losing team, made them a winning team, turned around a 14 year losing streak and people are complaining because “they” would have done things differently????? Seems to me the proof is in the pudding. Sure, you can always build a better mousetrap but sounds like the coach here worked a small miracle. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens next when a new coach takes charge.
They went 2-6 last year…and lost games they had a chance of winning because of the punting etc….
are any of the current assistants going to stay on? Are there any good assistants there? Were they all the head coach’s guys?