He may only be 23 years old, but new Old Town head coach David Gross has plenty of experience with the game of football.
The former offensive lineman at the University of Maine was Old Town’s offensive and defensive line coach a year ago, and will now take the reins of the program heading into next season.
“I just feel extremely blessed to be in the position I am at 23 years old,” Gross said. “I know a lot of people might doubt my age as a head coach and being able to guide a program and set them in the right direction. But the people of Old Town, the faculty there, the players, everybody doesn’t make me feel that way. They make me feel like I’m doing the right thing, and they embrace me.”
Following his impressive playing career at Bucksport High School and UMaine, Gross coached as an assistant and also trained linemen at Queen City Athletics in Veazie. He is looking forward to expanding his role with the Old Town program after a season of building connections with players and the community.
“They make me believe that we’re going to do something great there, and that means more to me than anything,” he said of the support in Old Town. “That’s more than just football, that’s about life.”
Gross said that his own playing career, including the injuries that plagued the end of it, informs his approach as a coach. He said a back injury is “something that I’ll deal with for the rest of my life” and makes it a priority for players to play hard without pushing it too far.
His works “to listen to the players, to be there for them, not just as a coach but as a person.”
As someone who’s experienced the physical toll of the game, he has learned a lesson about instituting an attitude of hard work and effort while also understanding individual limits for players.
To Gross, that means finding a balance between being demanding enough of them so that they’re put in a position to win, while also making sure that they’re having fun.
“They are kids so at the end of the day you gotta embrace that,” he said.
Gross also trains individual players at Queen City Athletics.
“I really take a holistic approach in developing, you know, trying to develop these guys as people and building their confidence and teaching them how to be good leaders,” Gross said.
He highlighted returning Coyotes offensive linemen Josh Wolfertz and Donovan Davis for their effort “wreaking havoc, driving guys 10 yards down the field last year.” And he called quarterback and defensive back Ethan Closson a “great leader” with “serious speed” who is dynamic as both a runner and passer.
And Gross is excited and appreciative for the opportunity ahead of him to step up into the head coaching role.
“I know what I’m walking into. I have a year of developing these kids,” he said.
The new head coach said he had some other options, but that Old Town was where he wanted to be, stressing an atmosphere defined by hard work.
“I just love the place. The people are awesome, the community is awesome, the students are awesome,” Gross said.
