Defending state champion Dexter hires new football coach
By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff
Andrew Levensalor knew when he first stepped foot on the Dexter Regional High School football field as a freshman that he wanted to eventually be a football coach.
After serving as an assistant coach at Dexter the past seven years, he’s finally getting his shot at being a head coach.
Levensalor will now lead the Tigers as the team tries to defend its small school eight-player football state championship title. The Tigers went 7-2 last season and beat Maranacook of Readfield 34-30 in the state title game on Bryce Connor’s last-second 14-yard touchdown pass to Avery Gagnon.
It was the team’s first state football title since winning an 11-player Class C championship in 1987.
MAKING HISTORY — Andrew Levensalor, far right, is the new head coach of the Dexter Regional High School 8-man football team. Levensalor succeeds Andrew Shorey, far left, who is now the athletic director/assistant principal at Piscataquis Community Secondary School. In November a 34-30 victory over Maranacook of Readfield in Portland made Dexter the inaugural 8-Man Small School champions.
“I’m excited. This is a good opportunity. We have a great group of kids,” said the 27-year-old Levensalor, who is also the head wrestling coach at Dexter.
Levensalor said being the defending state champs will put a target on their backs but his players know what to expect.
“The kids know everyone will be out to beat us,” he said.
Levensalor returns a good senior class and some quality players like quarterback Connor, “but we lost a lot of talented players. We have some holes to fill.”
He feels the offense will be solid but “we’re still trying to figure things out on defense.”
The football team has had anywhere from 19 to 26 players involved in the summer workout program, which Levensalor is happy about.
One trademark of his team will be its work ethic.
“The kids are going to work hard. When you work hard, good things happen,” said the Husson University of Bangor graduate and sixth grade math teacher at the SeDoMoCha Middle School in Dover-Foxcroft.
Levensalor is replacing Andy Shorey, who is the new athletic director and assistant principal at Piscataquis Secondary High School in Guilford.
Dexter Regional High School Athletic Director Roy Pelotte said there were three or four applicants for the position.
“Andrew has been with us for seven years. We’re excited to have him as our new head coach,” Pelotte said.
He had been the special teams coordinator for the Tigers in recent years and he also worked with the defensive backs and running backs.
Levensalor was a running back and strong safety in his playing days at Dexter under Tim Wilson (three years) and Kevin Armstrong (one year).
He has hired two assistant coaches in Kyle Lockhart and Mike Wallace that he feels will be valuable assets to the program.