By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
CARIBOU – Scott Hunter starred for the Vikings’ varsity soccer team in the early 1980s and he’s returning to coach the team this fall.
Hunter, the son of former longtime CHS athletic director Dwight Hunter, was selected April 6 as Caribou’s new coach to replace Mark Shea, who last winter stepped down from the post he had held for 11 years.
Hunter, a partner in the law firm Solman & Hunter in Caribou since 1990, has stayed involved in athletics by coaching his children’s recreation department soccer, youth league basketball and Little League baseball teams as well as serving as an IAABO basketball official for the last 22 years. He did serve a short stint as Caribou’s JV boys soccer coach in the late 1980s before heading to law school.
The varsity position came a little sooner than he expected, but he’s excited about the opportunity.
“I’ve always had an interest in coaching and was able to scratch the itch through Little League and youth sports,” said Hunter, 46. “I initially saw myself getting in at the middle school level, but a couple friends encouraged me to apply.”
David Wakana, the CHS athletic director, said Hunter was selected “due to his expansive background in the sport, his knowledge of the athletic programs and his leadership abilities.”
Hunter said the timing was right with two sons getting ready to come through the program and he is looking forward to the chance of potentially coaching them. Michael, 13, is a seventh-grader and Hayden, 8, a third-grader. His daughter, Haley, 16, is a sophomore who is currently involved in the school’s girls soccer program.
Hunter was a three-sport athlete at CHS, having played soccer, basketball and baseball and serving as captain of all three sports his junior and senior seasons. Following high school, he attended Colby College and played soccer and basketball for the Mules. He was the recipient of the Sam Koch Award in soccer for his dedication and leadership to the program.
He said he has several coaching influences, including his two Colby College coaches, Mark Serdjenian for soccer, who is still the school’s coach, and Dick Whitmore for basketball, who just recently retired after a long career. Hunter calls his father his “biggest influence and mentor.”
“Coaching to me is enriching and is a way for me to give back to the community,” Hunter said. “I’m fiercely competitive and I play to win, but like my Dad always said, winning and exhibiting good sportsmanship don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
“I plan to bring discipline, but I also want my players to have fun and enjoy the experience. That’s an extremely important component for me,” he added.
Hunter said the summer program will get under way in late-June and he’s hoping to pick up some scrimmages against other local schools while meeting a couple nights a week during the summer months.
“I really want to build up the program and get a lot of kids involved in the sport,” he said.
After having qualified for the post-season for the first 10 years under Shea, Caribou missed out on the playoffs last year with a final record of 3-8-3.
“We play in a competitive league, but we’ve got some good young kids,” Hunter said. “I want them to look forward to practices and to working hard.”
