YARMOUTH—The new football coach at Yarmouth High School is no stranger to the sport or the program and is eager to continue the Clippers’ winning ways.

Jason Veilleux, who boasts an impressive playing and coaching resume, including several years with the Yarmouth program, was recently named the replacement for Chris Pingitore, who stepped down after two seasons.

“I’m very excited and honored to be named the new coach,” said Veilleux.”I feel lucky to coach in a town that has great players, coaches, parents, administrators and boosters.”

Veilleux was a starting quarterback as a junior and senior at Winslow High School, played at Kents Hill and Bridgewater State (Mass.) and later played semi-pro football in Massachusetts.

Veilleux began coaching in 2005, as an assistant with the Pirates varsity youth team in Yarmouth. He then made the move to the junior high program as an assistant for several seasons. In 2011, Veilleux became the junior high’s head coach and posted a 9-2 record. Yarmouth then went 4-0, not surrendering a single point, to win an invitational tournament in Lewiston.

In 2012, Pingitore’s first after replacing Jim Hartman, Veilleux joined the high school staff. He helped guide the junior varsity team to a 9-0 record. This past fall, Veilleux was the co-offensive coordinator of the varsity team which averaged 31.7 points per contest. The Clippers went 6-2 in the regular season, then lost to Cape Elizabeth in the Western Class C quarterfinals.

“I feel like I’ve been groomed for this position and feel very fortunate to have had such great mentors as Jim Hartman and Chris Pingitore,” said Veilleux, who is also the assistant director of Yarmouth Community Services, owner of Mainely Sports Photography and longtime sports photographer for The Forecaster.

“We are very excited to have Jason as the next leader of our program,” said Yarmouth athletic director Susan Robbins. “Coach Veilleux brings with him solid playing and coaching experience and has been instrumental in developing the program over the years at all levels. Coach Veilleux has been able to create positive relationships with all of the players and has the leadership ability to move our program forward. The future of Yarmouth football is in great hands with Jason.”

Yarmouth plays in a very challenging region, which includes local rivals like Cape Elizabeth and Freeport, in addition to traditional powers like Leavitt, Mountain Valley and Wells, but Veilleux believes the Clippers, who have made the playoffs five years running, will remain in the hunt.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” said Veilleux, “(Bringing in) new players and offseason conditioning are two of my immediate priorities, but I have a lot of confidence in the returning players and coaches that we have coming back in 2014. I expect Yarmouth football to remain competitive next season.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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