POLAND – The time is now for Poland Regional High School to become a perennial playoff contender in the black-and-blue Campbell Conference, according to new head coach Mark Soehren.

Soehren, the team’s defensive coordinator for three years, became the second head coach in the program’s four-year history recently.

“We’re past the point where we can say we’re a new program,” Soehren said.

He replaces Rick Kramer, who resigned shortly after the conclusion of the Knights’ 0-9 2007 season.

It’s a long road from winless to playoff contention, but Soehren, citing several nubile programs that found quick success, such as Gorham, Cape Elizabeth and Greely, thinks it can be done.

“In this conference, there’s been a clear line between the top four or five teams and the lower four or five,” he said. “Of course, our goal is to be in that upper four or five and fighting for a playoff spot every year.”

The way to do that, he said, is to get numbers up and get bigger and stronger. A two-year-old feeder program is helping with the former, and commitment to an off-season training program can help with the latter.

“It feels like we’re just sort of in-season athletes, and that’s not just limited to football,” he said. “The kids work incredibly hard in-season, there’s no question about that. It’s just understanding that if we want to compete at that level, we’re going to need to put more time in in the off-season.”

Soehren said he doesn’t plan on changing the Knights’ defensive schemes much, but he will scrap their spread offense and revert back to the double-slot formation they ran during the first couple of years of the program’s existence.

“When Rick was here, we ran a pretty wide-open offense. But you know, the first couple of years, we ran that double-slot, and I think that gives some advantages to smaller teams like ours,” he said. “We’re probably looking at more of an option game. I was an option quarterback in college and high school, so I think that’s probably what we’re looking at. Not too many teams run that in our league.”

“We’ll be a running team first, without question,” he added.

A native of Fargo, N.D., Soehren attended the University of South Dakota on a full athletic scholarship. He played football for two years but stopped a year after the coach who recruited him left the school. He threw the javelin for the track team the rest of his time there.

Soehren, 38, moved to Maine six years ago and lives in Otisfield with his wife and three children. He teaches integrated sciences to Poland Regional High School’s ninth- and 10th-graders. He has been head coach of the track team for six years and was as assistant on Kramer’s staff for five, including one year when Poland only had a junior varsity team. He spent the first three years as special teams coordinator and the last two as defensive coordinator. Overall, he has 10 years of coaching experience.

“As a football assistant and track coach, he has strong support of the administration, community, students and athletes. His passion for impacting students in a positive way through coaching is evident,” said Don King, director of co-curricular activities. “Mark has coordinating experience and an interesting football history.”

“I’m really excited about this opportunity and feel the time is right for me to be a head coach. I learned a lot the past five years,” Soehren said. “I can’t wait for August.”