Darren Allen holds up the Gold Ball after Mt. Abram won the Class C boys soccer state championship in 2023 by defeating George Stevens, 1-0. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

When Darren Allen left his teaching and soccer coaching positions at Mt. Abram last year, he wasn’t sure if he’d find his way onto the pitch again.

But on Jan. 10, only six months into his special education teaching role at Spruce Mountain High School, Allen was named head coach of the school’s boys soccer team.

He replaces former coach Adam Gettle, who resigned his role to prioritize raising his young children, according to Phoenix athletic director Marc Keller.

Allen said the job opening was unexpected.

“When I came here, I told (Gettle), I’m not looking at your job, I’m looking forward to some time away,” Allen said. “I took a year off, and that was good, and I think I watched three high school games, total, last year.”

Instead, Allen found himself traveling in and out of state to watch his two sons, Evan and Ian, play their final seasons at Southern Maine Community College. But, the chance to coach again drew Allen to the vacancy at Spruce, and he decided to apply.

“It’s my comfort; I know soccer and I know how to coach,” Allen said. “That’s what I’m familiar with.”

Allen graduated from Mt. Abram in 1988, and then graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle. While there, he was roommates with Keller, and the two were in each other’s wedding parties.

Keller said he’s excited to have his longtime friend in the coaching position, and is even more thrilled about the history of success Allen brings with him. The pair coached soccer at the same time at Mt. Abram — Keller led the girls soccer team and Allen the boys — and together created the Western Mountain Youth Soccer Association within Mt. Abram’s school district in 2008.

“Knowing Darren’s abilities and his knowledge and skill set, I knew that he’d be right for this job,” Keller said. “Spruce Mountain has not traditionally been a soccer powerhouse, so I think he’s the right person that’s going to help to be able to build that up and see where things go.”

Allen began coaching at Mt. Abram in 2001, then took a break from 2008-14, before returning from 2015-23. In 2023, the Roadrunners won the Class C state championship with a 1-0 victory over George Stevens. Allen was also named the national coach of the year in 2023.

“We hired him because we know he’s a great mind and know he’s a good coach,” Keller said. “You don’t become the national soccer coach of the year if you’re mediocre, so we know what we’ve got coming in as far as coaching talent.”

Spruce Mountain currently plays 8-person soccer. Allen said he plans to have the team move back to 11-on-11 soccer, but added nothing is set in stone.

“I was a big proponent when the MPA was first talking about going to small-sided soccer, because a lot of the programs would have just gone out, we would have lost programs,” Allen said. “I had no idea what the rules or anything were going to be, or how that was going to work, I just didn’t want to see soccer programs go by the wayside.”

This past fall, the Phoenix went 4-10 and played in a 8-person South quarterfinal. Their roster had 12 players, with one senior and 11 freshmen or sophomores.

Keller and Allen both said they envision a budding soccer program developing at Spruce, and Allen is already planning to implement a summer soccer program, much like the 7-on-7 tournament he and his wife, Angel Allen, ran at Mt. Abram.

“I don’t even know most of the kids’ names, because in my position here at the high school, I don’t see a lot of kids,” Allen said. “I’m just trying to get kids names down first, because I feel that’s my strength as a coach, is my player relationships. That’s first and foremost.”

In the classification proposal revealed earlier this month, the Spruce Mountain boys are listed as an 8-person team. If they move to 11-player, they’ll be the second-largest school in Class C South.

Allen hopes the reclassification cycle won’t move the Phoenix out of C South when the final determination is made in April.

“I’m very comfortable with the Mountain Valley Conference, I know the teams, I know the coaches, I know how to play against them,” Allen said. “I’m very comfortable with that.”