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Waterville defensive coordinator Mike Hamel, right, instructs the team during a September 2023 practice in Waterville. Hamel, who played at Waterville and won the 1993 Fitzpatrick Trophy, has been named head coach of the Purple Panthers. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

WATERVILLE — Waterville Senior High School announced Monday the hiring of Mike Hamel as the school’s next head football coach.

Hamel, the 1993 Fitzpatrick Trophy winner, had been an assistant coach on Waterville’s staff since the 2019 season. He replaces Isaac LeBlanc, who stepped down in January after five seasons.

“We are excited to have Coach Hamel at the helm,” Waterville athletic director Heidi Bernier said in a statement. “He has invested a lot of time in our community and with our kids. We are thankful for Coach LeBlanc, and he will be missed. We won’t skip a beat with Coach Hamel taking over the leadership role.”

Hamel played high school football at Waterville. As a senior in 1993, he rushed for 990 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 15 passes for 355 yards on offense while registering 134 tackles on defense to lead the Purple Panthers to the Class A East title.

Waterville went 1-8 in 2025 after a winless campaign in 2024. The Panthers previously captured eight-man Large School North championships in 2021 and 2022.

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