The familiar cadence of whistles and drills echoed across the practice field this August as Craig Collins stepped back onto the sidelines of Mt. Blue football, a program he knows intimately from his years as defensive coordinator between 1994 and 2015.
Collins’s return follows a four‑year head‑coaching tenure at Dirigo, where he honed a reputation for demanding intensity and disciplined play. Now, he is tasked with reviving a tradition that once produced seven state championships in 1974, ’75, ’80, ’82, ’87, 2005 and ’12.
Reviving a Championship Culture
The coaching staff reflects that ambition: five of the nine assistants wore the same blue and white jerseys as players under Collins, giving the group a shared memory of the program’s golden eras. Their presence signals a deliberate effort to blend fresh ideas with the proven values that once defined Mt. Blue’s dominance.
Senior captains Reed Cousineau, Roman Galkowski and Dillon Gray have embraced the renewed focus on winning, embodying the championship mindset that the coaching staff hopes will permeate the entire roster. Their leadership is seen as a bridge between the past’s legacy and the present’s aspirations.
Early practice observations revealed a noticeable shift in energy. A modest 7‑on‑7 contact drill sparked heightened physicality and engagement, suggesting that players are already internalizing the higher standards set by Collins and his crew.
The season’s opening test arrives on September 4, when Mt. Blue travels to face Skowhegan at 7 p.m. The matchup will be a litmus test for whether the revived culture can translate into on‑field results as the team aims to reclaim its place among the state’s elite.