New Cheverus football coach Skip Capone works with players during a Sept. 4 practice in Portland. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
Being a high school varsity football coach is a multi-faceted job. Head coaches oversee players and assistant coaches. They are the final disciplinarian. They will coach a position group and usually call the offensive or defensive signals. Interacting with parents, school administrators, booster groups, grounds and maintenance crews, athletic training staff, and media are part of the job. It requires passion, planning and precision to be successful.
Several Maine teams have new leaders at the top. Here’s a look at first-year head coaches.
NATE DANFORTH, Oxford Hills: Danforth is no stranger to the Vikings’ program. He’s been on the coaching staff since 1999 and was the team’s head coach from 2008-10. He was a key assistant under Mark Soehren (2012-23) and the team’s defensive coordinator as Oxford Hills rose to the top of the Class A ranks, winning the state championship in 2022. Soehren retired in May, and Danforth was chosen as the new coach in early August.
SKIP CAPONE, Cheverus: There aren’t many coaches in Maine with more experience – or sheer enthusiasm – than the 69-year-old Capone. A native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Capone is in his 47th year as a football coach, including a 14-year stint as Lewiston’s head coach and 22 years as an assistant at Bates College. Capone replaces Mike Vance, who led the Stags for eight years after replacing John Wolfgram. Cheverus moves from Class C to Class B, and Capone, hired in January, said he wants to guide the program back to Class A.
MARK BOISSONNEAULT, Sanford: Another long-time assistant taking over for an established coach, Boissonneault has been at Sanford for 32 years, the last five as the Spartans’ offensive coordinator. He replaces Mike Fallon, who resigned after accepting an assistant principal’s position at Sanford.
Skip Capone is in his 47th season coaching football, but his first as the head coach at Cheverus. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
SPENCER EMERSON, Falmouth: The 2011 graduate of Edward Little takes over for John Fitzsimmons, Falmouth’s coach since 2007, who resigned under pressure from parents, and ultimately players. Emerson has significant coaching experience. He was the head coach at Poland in 2018-19 and has since been a college assistant at Bates, Georgetown and the University of Chicago.
SETH JOHNSON, Poland: Johnson replaces Gus Leblanc, a longtime and respected educator and administrator who died in February. He was the coach at Sacopee Valley last year, which plays in the eight-man ranks. Johnson said he enjoyed coaching at Sacopee but is excited to be back in the 11-player ranks. He is also the varsity baseball coach at Gray-New Gloucester.
NICK ORSI, Yarmouth: A relative newcomer to Maine football circles, Orsi takes over for Jim Hartman. An investment advisor and former high school quarterback outside Chicago, Orsi has been a high school assistant for three seasons, all in the eight-player ranks. He was on Hartman’s Yarmouth staff in 2021 and 2022, and last year was the offensive coordinator at Brunswick.
JOEL STONETON, Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale: Stoneton, the former Winthrop athletic director, takes over for Dave St. Hilaire, who went 55-32 in nine seasons. Stoneton, a 1993 graduate of Winthrop, was the Ramblers’ head coach prior to St. Hilaire, going 61-35 in 10 seasons. His 2008 team went 11-1, losing in the Class C state final. Stoneton had been the team’s defensive coordinator under St. Hilaire.
Nate Danforth is serving as head coach at Oxford Hills for a second time. He has been on the Vikings’ coaching staff since 1999, including three seasons as the head coach from 2008-10. Brewster Burns photo
FRED LOWER, Brewer: The former athletic director at Hampden Academy and current assistant principal at Brewer, Lower returns to the sidelines. Lower previously was a head coach at Hampden Academy, had two stints as an assistant coach at Husson University, and was on the Bangor staff for more than 10 years.
ERIC SCHROEDER, Sacopee Valley: Schroeder takes over from Seth Johnson, who left to become head coach at Poland. A longtime assistant, this is Schroeder’s 10th season coaching at his alma mater. He was a member of Sacopee Valley’s inaugural football team.
GERALD HARTLEY, Mount View: Hartley was an assistant coach with the Mustangs under his predecessor, Rick Leary, who coached for seven seasons. Hartley takes over a young team that went 2-17 over the last three seasons. A longtime coach at youth levels, Hartley is a head coach for the first time.
JOHN EDWARDS, Valley: A former high school football coach in Montana, Edwards takes over the state’s northernmost team. Playing in its third varsity season, Valley is a co-op of players from Fort Kent, Madawaska and Wisdom. The program is still looking for its first varsity win.
While influenza remains the top concern for Maine public health experts, other viruses are also currently circulating, including norovirus and COVID-19.
“Influenza is clearly the main event,” said Dr. Cheryl Liechty, a MaineHealth infectious disease specialist. “The curve in terms of the rise of influenza cases was really steep.”
Maine reported 1,343 flu cases for the week ending Jan. 3, an uptick from the 1,283 cases recorded the previous week, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations increased to 147 from 108 during the same time periods.
“I hope the peak is now,” Liechty said, “but I’m not really sure.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday that all of New England, except for Vermont, is currently experiencing “very high” levels of influenza. Vermont is in the “moderate” category.
“What we are seeing, overwhelmingly, is the flu,” said Andrew Donovan, associate vice president of infection prevention for Northern Light Health. “We are seeing both respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses in our patients.”
Norovirus also appears to be circulating, although due to its short duration and because it’s less severe than the flu, public health data on the illness — which causes gastrointestinal symptoms that typically resolve within a few days — is not as robust.
“Norovirus is the gastrointestinal scourge of New England winters and cruise ships,” Liechty said.
According to surveillance data at wastewater treatment plants in Portland, Bangor and Lewiston, norovirus levels detected in those communities are currently “high.” The treatment plants participate in WastewaterSCAN, which reports virus levels in wastewater through a program run by Stanford University and Emory University.
Dr. Genevieve Whiting, a Westbrook pediatrician and secretary of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said viruses are prevalent right now, especially the flu and norovirus.
“For my patients right now, it’s a rare encounter that I hear everyone in a family has been healthy,” Whiting said. “I’ve had families come in and say their entire family has had norovirus. Several of my patients have had ER visits for suspected norovirus, where they needed IV fluids because they were dehydrated.”
Both Liechty and Whiting said they are seeing less respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, likely because there has been good uptake of the new RSV vaccine, which is recommended for older people and those who are pregnant. The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2023.
“The RSV vaccine has been a real success, as RSV was a leading cause of hospitalizations for babies,” Whiting said.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases increased to 610 in the final week of 2025, compared to 279 the previous week. Influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations are available at primary care, pharmacies and clinics across the state.
“If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet,” Liechty said, “you should beat a hasty path to get your shot.”
Defensemen Max Wanner was re-assigned to the Maine Mariners from the Providence Bruins on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Underwood was also re-assigned to Maine.
Wanner, 22, was acquired by the Boston Bruins when they traded Trent Federic to Edmonton last March. He played in 15 games for the AHL Providence Bruins at the end of last season, and seven this season.
Underwood returns for his second stint with the Mariners. He appeared in 67 games with Maine last season.
2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
Power bank feature creep is out of control
Defensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
Viral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits
Pat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
Oregon State LB transfer Dexter Foster commits to Nebraska
Nebraska-based pizza chain Godfather’s Pizza is set to open a new location in Queen Creek
Damon Wilson II, Missouri DE in legal dispute with Georgia, to re-enter transfer portal: Source
