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Tuesday August 30, 2011 Edition
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NFL Not Having Long Enough Pre-Season? MUHS Football Has The First Half Of Pre-season In The Bag.


photo by Marcie Bolton

Tuesday August 30, 2011

By Marcie Bolton

Meeting up with Middlebury Union High School Varsity football coach after his morning practice and after giving out jerseys for the upcoming 2011 season, I had the pleasure of learning how this fall’s season is shaping up and how growing up with tradition has influenced Dennis Smith.

Marcie Bolton:  Describe your priorities as a coach and a person?  
Dennis Smith:  Teaching sportsmanship is my priority.  It is a 3 lane road –of teammates, opponents and referees.  Molding twenty-five kids as a group and what we can work towards.  They have to learn to work together first, then the kids have to be carry those attitudes on to their opponents.  Referees sometimes make bad calls and learning to deal with those calls is a life skill.  Both on and off the field people are going to make decisions that you may not agree with.  It is how you react to the call that is important. That is sportsmanship.

MB:  What role does academics play in your program and in your role as a coach and how do you help ensure your players get the most out of their abilities as student-athletes?
DS: Middlebury Union High School staff has their own role in that and I back up the school.  I abide by the schools rules. It is easier now with the parent portal.  Coaching at the high school level is interesting... Unless you want to take 15 players into your house  ... There are going to be kids that slip through the cracks.  I hope I am a parent figure.  I yell on the field and I get vocal on the field and afterwards we talk about it.  It’s not ignored.  I am a loud person, but it’s not always bad… I am vocal.  I feel like I’m a teacher.   Years ago when I was a player it was 25 kids conforming to the one coach.  Now, it is the coach conforming to 25 kids.

MB:  Last season we saw strong player leadership from Brendan Burrell and Patrick Fifield, and they’ve graduated. Who do you see providing that level of leadership this season?
DS:  I see the two captains,  Austin Quesnel and Dillon Robinson playing those roles for the team... Marshall Hastings and Joey Zeno, even though they are not captains, I see them showing leadership.  Patrick Foley also will play the part.

MB:  Who will start as QB?
DS:  Dillon Robinson is looking like quarterback.  

MB:  Who will step in when he comes out?
DS:  Tyler Provencher, a junior this year.

MB:  Will we see changes in strategies? Big changes? Subtle changes?  
DS: I am sleeping on one now.  I woke up with a new offensive look, taken from 1998/99 that may fit this personnel real well. We have our core we run every year.  We tweak certain plays to strengths and weaknesses of the current team.  ..More finesse these days.    There are 3 ineligibles right now.... If they return we can play a different offensive strategy.  

MB:  This year’s Coaching Staff?
DS:  Coaching Staff is the same as last year.  Coaching with me on Varsity will be Jed Malcolm and John Nuceder.  On the JV team is Pete James and Derek Bartlett, (who is teaching math at the high school level now, after teaching at Middlebury Union Middle School for many years.)  Freshman coaches are Pete Brakeley and Jeff Laberge, with help from Carl Ciemniewski a.k.a. the "Z" man.

MB:  Describe your program’s overall philosophy?
DS:  I have built my philosophy on tradition.  Stuff I was taught as a player is what I want to carry on.  What I learned, and what was passed down to me is what I want to give my players.  We have a very strong, long standing tradition here at Middlebury, which has run well.  We also have a well supported program here… We are spoiled, you might say, but hopefully we give back to the community what they give to us.   

    2011 Varsity MUHS Football Game pictures will be taken –look for shots of your player at www.marcieboltonphotography.com, or call or write 802.989.2790, [email protected] to set up a specific focus on your player.  


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