FARMINGTON – It was an offer Dave Ronald could not refuse – at least not a second time.

When the Mt. Blue girls’ soccer coaching job opened two years ago, the players instantly thought of Ronald, their former eighth-grade coach.

Their hopes to recruit Ronald were dashed, however, when he had to decline the offer. But when the job opened again this year, Ronald didn’t dare refuse.

“It is kind of neat coaching the same kids,” said Ronald. “I already have a nice relationship with them. It sounds so generic but they’re really a nice group of kids. They’re nice to one another, and they’re nice to work with.”

There are 10 seniors and four returning juniors on this year’s club, many of which played for Ronald before.

“We knew that he was someone we could joke around with and still be serious,” said senior captain Marcie Flagg. “He does well coaching girls, and he has a lot of experience. So we knew he’d be good to come to the program.”

After coaching the girls in middle school, Ronald had coached the Mt. Blue junior varsity boys. When the girls job opened in the spring of 2002, Ronald was a natural choice.

“I used to pester him about it,” said senior captain Nikki Alexander. “As soon as we found out Jason Simpson was leaving, we thought about him That way we wouldn’t have to go through knowing a new coach.”

It seemed like the perfect scenario, but there was one hitch. Ronald was in the midst of a masters program in Computer Technology Education. Trying to fit a coach’s schedule around that was going to be a challenge.

“I really did strongly consider it,” said Ronald. “I thought about it and talked with my wife. Part of me wanted to because I had the kids when they were eighth graders. It was such a commitment. There just wasn’t enough room on the plate to squeeze it.”

He concluded that he had no choice but to decline the opportunity, fully knowing he might not get another chance.

“We were pretty disappointed and bummed out and pretty nervous,” said Alexander.

“It was kind of shocking at first because we thought he’d be able to do it because he was teaching at the high school now,” said Flagg. “We were really surprised and disappointed, but it all ended up working out.”

Jon Hayes ultimately took the job and did a nice job coaching last year, but early on, he made it known that he would only be there for a year. That had both Ronald and the girls thinking about a second chance.

Ronald was going to be finished with his master’s program by summer. So he saw no reason why he couldn’t apply.

“We were extremely excited,” said Flagg. “We all knew him from soccer, and we knew him as a teacher. He’s just so fun, and he was so good with the girls. It’s been really fun. We joke around with him all the time. I think he enjoys working with us.”

Typically, this group of upperclassmen has used the summer soccer season to get accustomed to a new coach. Mt. Blue has had seven new coaches in the last 10 years.

“It was a relief,” said Alexander. “Usually, we are tossed into a new coach during the summer.”

For Ronald it is exciting to coach the same girls once again and see the progress they have made.

“They’ve improved in their skills and as people,” he said. “There is a big difference relating to kids as eighth

graders and as kids that are

seniors. You can have a

conversation with them on a different level. They’re that much older. They’re much more mature. They’re more receptive to hearing things. They’re looking for ways to improve.”

That is the case now for the Cougars. After a 2-7-3 season, Mt. Blue has started 0-2. There is plenty of promise for this squad that has many upperclassmen, but a bright future as well.

The Cougars played in some preseason tournaments in Southern Maine against the likes of Greely, Westbrook and Yarmouth. Mt. Blue showed how competitive they could be and are aiming to reach that standard.

“I think we’re making some progress,” said Flagg. “We want to play like we did against them. We want to push ourselves to that level. We’ve been starting off at a slow pace, but as we keep playing more, we’ll pick it up and take it to a new level.”

[email protected]