ROCKPORT — The time since Camden Hills Regional High School revived its football program in 2006 has been rough with more bumps in the road than anticipated. 

From winless seasons to not being able to complete the 2015 campaign over safety concerns raised by low program numbers and high injury rates, the Windjammer football program has been dealt just about every type of adversity out there. 

But all those low moments in the program’s history has not deterred its current group of players, nor the parents who are fighting every day to breathe more life into the program returning to varsity status in the fall.

In fact, once again, a new chapter of Windjammer football is just beginning.

After being guided by Archie Stalcup during the 2016 season, a season in which Camden Hills only fielded a junior varsity team, the keys of the program were handed over to Jeremy Marks, 43, in June. 

“I cannot tell you how excited I am that Coach marks is now leading our football program,” Camden Hills athletic director Steve Alex said, in an email. “Having a coach that is ‘in’ the building is a huge milestone for our football program. Coach Marks has years of football coaching experience at many levels and will bring all of that experience to make our program the best that it possibly has ever been. We all look forward to playing in the new MPA Class E league and are very excited to get things officially underway on Monday, Aug. 14. Coach Marks has prepared well and is ready for the task! I know that football student athletes are also very excited about having Jeremy lead this program into the future.” 

The New York City native, who moved to the Midcoast four years ago from Barcelona, Spain and previously worked at Lincoln Academy before joining Camden Hills, is the Director of Counseling in addition to his coaching duties. 

Marks does not have prior head coaching experience, but his extensive football background more than makes up for it.

In eighth and ninth grades, Marks saw playing time as a running back and linebacker at Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, New Hampshire. He was a varsity starter all three years at Connecticut’s South Kent School and was named all-league and an all-state honorable mention his senior season. 

Marks passed up on playing college football at the Division III level in order to accept a full-ride scholarship to join the rowing team at Northeastern University, which Marks proudly boasted as “one of the best college programs in the world.” 

Marks, who earned a degree in political science at Northeastern, played semi-professional football in Long Island, New York, for five years as a tight end and outside linebacker on a team that went to three league championships, but fell short each time. 

Since hanging up his pads, Marks has turned to coaching football and has coached “for the better part of 13 years” at the high school level with many athletes of his going off to play football at the collegiate level and in the National Football League. 

Marks, who was an assistant for one season at Camden Hills before taking over the program, said he has always thought at some point  he wanted to be a head football coach.

“However developing myself as an educator had always been the priority,” he said. “This year, I had the opportunity to fulfill that dream and worked with Maria Libby (Five Towns Superintendent) and Steve Alex to ensure that I could balance my position of Director of Counseling and Head Coach. Both of which I am very passionate about.” 

Marks has previously served as a defensive coordinator for the past three seasons with Lincoln County Football, Morse High School and Camden Hills. 

“I am really a defensive minded coach, but I am excited to expand my involvement with offensive side of the ball,” Marks stated.

2017 Football Season

Marks expects about 40 players to be on the roster for this upcoming season, a season during which the team will play in the Maine Principal Associations’ newly formed Class E. Class E is tailored to teams where low program numbers have haunted members of the new classification. 

Marks seeks to improve on the program’s conditioning, football knowledge and winning mentality this season and is looking forward to all the game’s on the docket because “it is a weekly challenge to prepare ourselves to be the best team, teammates and [c]oaches we can be. Understanding how we will grow from game to game and maintaining an honest critic of our performance and ability in our respective roles and responsibilities.” 

Marks believes the team’s biggest challenge this fall will be “playing so many young guys.” He believes having young guys on the roster “bodes well for the future, but we have a lot of teaching to do and will need to be patient with the development of players as well as the program.” 

“My vision is to create a program that develops not only high quality football players, but more importantly high value members of our community,” Marks said. “Football for me is a chance to build relationships and teach young people about the importance of character and values.” 

The regular season will begin on the road at Maranacook Friday, Sept. 1. The Windjammers will then host Boothbay Saturday, Sept. 9 before traveling to Telstar Saturday, Sept. 16 and Traip Academy Saturday, Sept. 23. A three game homestand will follow with the Windjammers hosting Sacopee Valley Saturday, Sept. 30, Maranacook Friday, Oct. 6 and Telstar Saturday, Oct. 14. The Windjammers will conclude the regular season by traveling to Boothbay Friday, Oct. 20. 

Modern Era History of Camden Hills Football

In the Five Town area, there was no football program for high school students until 2006 as the school dropped football in 1936.

In 2006, the program played at the junior varsity level and in 2007 and 2008 the team played as a club varsity program, with exhibition contests. A club team does not have official varsity status and competes against other school's club teams or junior varsity teams.

In the 2009 season, the team went 0-8 under head coach Linwood Downs as a member of the Class B Pine Tree Conference, its first as a fully accredited varsity program. In 2010, the school improved its record to 4-5 under Downs and even made the playoffs, where they were quickly eliminated by Belfast in the opening round. In 2011, the team dropped again to 0-8 and saw Downs leave the program before the 2012 campaign. Downs ended his career as the Windjammers leader with a 4-21 varsity record.

In April 2012, Steve Wadsworth accepted the position of head football coach at Camden Hills Regional High School and in his three seasons with the program, he compiled 1-7 records in 2012 and 2013 before going 0-8 in 2014. 

That paved the way for Thad Chilton to take over for the 2015 season. After falling in the first three games of the season and amid many concerns about player safety, the school administration decided to pull the plug on the program for the remainder of the season, a decision that would make national headlines. 

RELATED: Camden Hills tabs Chilton as new head football coach

Numerous meetings between community members and school officials took place in the months following the decision and in the end, school administrators felt it was in the program’s best interests to return to the gridiron in the 2016 season as a junior varsity team. 

RELATED: How and why Camden Hills High School leaders terminated the 2015 football season

Stalcup, a well-known former college football coach who enjoyed much success with Rowan University and La Salle University, came out of retirement to head the Windjammer program back into existence. Stalcup previously spent two years as an assistant with the Windjammer program. 

Health issues arose for Stalcup, according to reports, and the decision was made to seek a new person to be at the helm of the program. 

Enter Marks. 

Reach George Harvey and the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.