When the softball coaching job opened up, it didn’t take an exhaustive search to find a replacement.

St. Dominic Regional High School already had a veteran softball coach in its coaching ranks, and it made for an easy decision for Brian Kay.

“I coached for nine years doing the JV program,” said Kay. “I’ve been out of it for a couple of years. Of course, I do field hockey. I enjoy softball and wanted to get back into it.”

Kay’s selection is one of many changes in the athletic department at St. Dom’s.

Lee Hixon has become the full-time athletic director. Hixon, the former Dean of Students, filled in at the end of the regular season following the unexpected death of Bob Boucher in April.

Hixon subsequently gave up the boys’ soccer coaching job and was replaced by assistant Matt Erickson.

Becky Roak has been named the new girls’ basketball coach, while Marc LePage is the new cross-country coach.

The softball job was vacated when long-time coach Dan Samson stepped down at the end of the spring season after the Saints lost in the Western C quarterfinals, although they nearly beat the eventual state champs from Georges Valley.

Kay will enter his ninth season with the field hockey team this fall. He’s won two Western C titles in 2003 and 2006 and took the Saints from a fledgling program to a championship contender. With the softball team, he steps into a program that has consistently been one of the top teams in the Western Maine Conference and been a perennial contender in Western C.

Kay will be assisted by Roak, and Paul Rheume will coach the JV team.

“Dan’s done a good job with it, and we’ll just go from there,” said Kay. “We’re pretty excited about it. We’ve got a great bunch of girls coming in in the freshman class. We just want to keep the program going at the caliber that it is at. I feel very comfortable taking it over. I know the kids, and I know the school. Everybody knows me. So it should be an easy fit.”

Kay coached the JV softball team for nine years and was part of the program when it won the Class C state championship in 2001. He stopped coaching softball in 2003 but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to the game.

“It gave me a little break and now I’m ready to get back into it,” said Kay. “I’m pretty fired up about it.”

Roak replaces Chet Lenfestey, who coached the girls’ basketball team for three years. The Saints went 36-18 during that time and 1-3 in the playoffs, earning their first trip to the Western C quarterfinals since 1985.

Roak has been involved in the Hoop Camp in Casco and coached at Chowan College in North Carolina. Roak was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

Erickson has been Hixon’s assistant and also coached at the AAU and Premier Soccer in Southern Maine. He also coached the Trinity Catholic Junior High team. Hixon coached the boys’ team for six years and won the states in 2001.

LePage is an experienced coach and an avid runner and trainer. He competes regularly in road races and brings an abundance of knowledge and experience to the program.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.