A familiar face is the new leader of the Messalonskee High School athletic department.

Long-time Cony coach Chad Foye was hired recently as the Eagles new athletic director after Tom Hill resigned to pursue teaching opportunities at Messalonskee.

It will be Foye’s first job as an athletic director after many years in the coaching ranks. Foye wrapped up his 22nd season as Cony boys hockey coach last winter, and just finished his ninth season as the school’s boys lacrosse coach.

Previously, Foye also served as an assistant with the Cony football and soccer programs and has been involved with the Maine Moose junior hockey team.

The RSU 18 school board approved Foye’s nomination April 25.

Foye said he’s thought about becoming an athletic director for a few years.

“I’d say the last few years, I’ve been looking at that as something I wanted to do,” Foye said. “I’ve been coaching for quite a while. It’s kind of a progression, something I wanted to try out, and I wanted to move into school administration as well. I’m hoping this will be a good fit for us.”

An East Pittston native, Foye is a Gardiner Area High School graduate. He later attended the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Orono, where he earned his degree. A social studies teacher at Cony, Foye has previously worked at Hall-Dale High School and the Capital Area Technical Center.

Before applying to Messalonskee, Foye said he picked the brains of fellow area athletic directors, including Steve Ouellette (Gardiner) and Paul Vachon (Cony).

“I can’t think of a more passionate person than Chad,” Vachon said. “Not only a passionate person, but I don’t think I can find anyone — that I know — that can say anything bad about Mr. Chad Foye. He’s truly a great professional — and I know this personally — a lot of athletic directors already know Chad. We had heard the rumor (recently) and everybody is really excited that Chad will be joining the ranks of (Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference athletic directors).”

Vachon praised Foye’s reliability at Cony over the years, laughing as he recalled a story of when he first asked Foye to take over the boys lacrosse program nearly a decade ago.

“I remember the time we didn’t have a lacrosse coach, and I approached him and said ‘Hey, I need somebody, buddy,'” Vachon said. “He said, ‘Hey, I don’t know a thing about (the sport).’ And I said ‘Well, you know things about kids.’ He took it over and has had a fantastic career in a sport that he basically didn’t know anything about.”

Cony has made four consecutive trips to the playoffs, going as far as the Class B semifinal round in 2016, when the Rams fell to Gardiner. He’s been just as successful running the hockey program, leading the Rams to the Class A playoffs each of the last three seasons, including a semifinal appearance in 2017.

Foye said his first goal at Messalonskee will be to get acclimated to his new environment.

“Get to know everybody, just see how things are run there,” Foye said. “Just get used to that. I’ve been at Cony for quite a while. I’m pretty familiar with Messalonskee, mostly through their success (in sports). I just want to get familiar where things are, who does what.”

Foye said it will be tough to leave Cony, a school he has been associated with for over 20 years.

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Foye said. “I’m real happy with the position, really happy I was chosen at Messalonskee and I’m really looking forward to it. But I’ve got some great memories that I’ve made (at Cony) and some great friendships. The community has just been really supportive of me. It is bittersweet. I’m going to miss all the kids and adults that I’ve worked with here that I’ve developed friendships with, that’s definitely something I’m going to miss.”

“I wish him the best of luck,” Vachon added. “This is something he really wants to do. I think (Messalonskee) got themselves a very passionate person that will work with the administration and with the athletes. I think they got a good catch.”

Dave Dyer – 621-5640

ddyer@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Dave_Dyer