High School Football: Edward Little wastes no time, names Sterling coach

Dave Sterling has been named the interim head football coach at Edward Little the day after the team found out that Travis Dube, named head coach only 8 months ago, was leaving to take a teaching job at another school.

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- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Dave Sterling has been named the interim head football coach at Edward Little the day after the team found out that Travis Dube, named head coach only 8 months ago, was leaving to take a teaching job at another school.

Buy a print

- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

AUBURN — If there's any such thing as a seamless football coaching transition in the last week of July, Edward Little High School pulled it off.

EL promoted defensive coordinator Dave Sterling to the interim post Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Red Eddies players learned that first-year coach Travis Dube is leaving to take a teaching job at Bridgton Academy.

"I haven't even seen a roster yet," Sterling said. "I've been in the weight room with the kids for the last two weeks. I've watched a lot of game film, trying to evaluate things."

While it's hard to consider any change three weeks before the start of a season serendipitous, circumstances worked together to give EL a best-case scenario to fill its void: Someone with Class A head coaching experience and passion for its program.

Sterling succeeds Dube for the second time this offseason in what has been a revolving door over the last four autumns.

The Edward Little High School and Maine Maritime Academy graduate spent the last three years as head coach at Scarborough High School. Sterling compiled a 6-18 record with the Red Storm.

Sterling took that job under similar circumstances after Winthrop native Chris Kempton resigned in March 2007 before coaching a game. His best season was in 2008, when the Red Storm — relatively new to Class A — started 3-1 before injuries sabotaged their playoff run.

At the same time Sterling stepped down in Scarborough, Dube was promoted to replace Darren Hartley at EL in December. Sterling, an engineer for a local oil company, already had begun planning a move back to his hometown.

"When I made the decision to relocate, I contacted EL and asked if they needed any help with the football program," Sterling said. "It turned out that they did. And now here it is, we've been moving into a new house in Auburn the last week-and-a-half. It's funny how things work out."

In another twist, it was Sterling's departure that originally opened the door for Dube to join the EL football staff.

Prior to his tenure at Scarborough, Sterling was defensive coordinator at EL for Jim Hersom in 2006 and Hartley in 2007.

"I'm glad that Darren is my friend and that I have a great relationship with him," Sterling said. 'I plan to pick his brain quite a bit."

Sterling inherits a solid senior group that struggled to a 1-7 mark in 2009. Two years ago, the Red Eddies advanced to the Pine Tree Conference championship game, losing at home to Skowhegan.

The new coach plans to employ a 5-2 defense. Sterling won't make a final decision about the offense, he said, until he has a chance to evaluate his personnel in the first days of practice.

He hinted, however, that the suddenly pervasive spread offense could be part of those plans.

"It's a totally different style in the North (PTC) than what I saw down South, where it's all very influenced by the 7-on-7 drills and the spread," Sterling said. "But I think you could see in the Lobster Bowl with some of the great work that (Leavitt coach Mike) Hathaway did that it's starting to change. I'm pretty sure Brewer ran the spread last year, and I know some other teams are starting to incorporate some of it. It's changing the face of high school football."

Primarily a defensive back and wingback in his playing days under Mike Haley at EL, Sterling moved to linebacker to help the team as a senior.

At Maine Maritime, where he played for former NFL linebacker John Huard, Sterling was a free safety all four years.

Sterling attributes much of his enthusiasm for football in general and EL in specific to Haley, a longtime teacher and administrator who is now an assistant coach at Oak Hill.

"He gave us a sense of responsibility to the people around us, that there was something bigger than ourselves," Sterling said of Haley.

"The people on that team, that never left us. We were family. There are guys that were my teammates who are still closer to me today than my own family. A lot of those guys when they found out I was looking to move were begging me to come back to Auburn."

Those strong ties are apparent on Sterling's coaching staff, which already was in place under Dube and has a distinct Auburn flavor.

Sterling's assistants include longtime youth coach Don Morency, Dave Bisson, Craig Jipson, Josh Barajas, John Botellio and Calvin and Tom Hunter.

Athletic director Dan Deshaies and Sterling will hold a formal meeting to discuss the new regime with players and parents at 6 p.m. Sunday, August 1 at the school.

Practice begins Monday, Aug. 16. Games follow in less than three weeks. EL's schedule gets off to a rugged start with Brunswick and Lawrence.

The interim tag is a reflection of the last-minute hire. Sterling welcomes it.

"I want the school to evaluate it (after a year)," he said. "All I really want is to give these kids a great opportunity to play this great game."

koakes@sunjournal.com