Who Are the Fall Sports Coaches?

As fall sports continue throughout the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, coaches attempt to push teams to new heights and achieve their goals. The fall sports varsity coaches for SHS include Ross Maki (boys soccer), Rob Williams (girls soccer), Herb Devine (football), Andrew Barlow (field hockey), William Seward (boys golf), Jen Harris (volleyball), Sheila Mahoney (cheerleading), and Kathleen McCarthy (cross country). 

Ross Maki has been coaching at the high school and club level for 22 years. When he came to Scituate as a teacher in 2005, the girl’s soccer coach position was open and he coached the team for eight years. In 2013, the boys’ soccer team was looking for a new coach, and Maki has been the varsity coach ever since. Maki played soccer all through his own high school experience, but he didn’t play in college as he focused on getting his degree and working full time. Since he has been coaching for many years, he has developed close relationships with many players. Maki said he has been able to see them grow throughout their high school careers as athletes and students. Maki’s favorite characteristics to see in players have been “character and work ethic as they can’t be taught, while skill and technique can.”

The girls’ varsity soccer program has enjoyed Rob Williams as their head coach for the past 10 years. He started coaching youth programs back in the UK when he was 20 years old. He loves to see the development of players over time and how they improve. Athletic programs are different in the UK, so he played for the town program and then was recruited at a semi-pro level. After withstanding a severe injury, he went fully into coaching at age 27 when he moved to the United States. For players in the program, he expects them to put their everything out on the field. He says, “For me, it is not just a soccer trait–it’s a life trait. You should be able to give 100% in everything you do in life.” Williams looks forward to the rest of the season and can’t wait to see how far those on the team can push themselves. 

Herb Devine has been the head football coach at Scituate High School for the past 14 years, having coached as assistant coach one year prior in Scituate, and before that, he coached in Abington for three years. Devine has been coaching youth sports since he was 18 and has always had a passion for it. He enjoys helping kids to improve on and off the field. He likes to help them get better at what they love to do. He played football in college as a tight end and a defensive end at Springfield College and subsequently played at UMass Dartmouth after he transferred. Devine looks for players who are unselfish and “play for each other not for themselves.” He anticipates a hard year ahead due to the teams in their league being undefeated up to this point, but the team is going strong so far this year. 

Andrew Barlow is the head coach for the girls’ field hockey team. Barlow has always wanted to coach, as he has been coaching youth sports since high school and throughout college. He began coaching in 2008 at Scituate High School.  It all started when Sarah Pastor, who was the head coach of field hockey, asked Barlow to coach freshman field hockey in 2017. Barlow enjoys the pace of field hockey along with how much hard work the girls put into it on and off the field. The team has had a great season so far with a 4-2-1 record. Barlow looks forward to the rest of the season as the team continues to grow. 

William Seward is the boys’ golf coach for Scituate for his second year. He has always enjoyed golf, and throughout his entire time working at Scituate High School, the job hadn’t opened up “so it seemed perfect.” He has found that golf attracts kids who are very coachable. They have 3 wins and 2 losses in their season and are excited for how the rest of the season will go. 

SHS volleyball coach is Jen Harris, who has always loved the sport of volleyball. She realized that Scituate didn’t have volleyball as a varsity sport and was the only school in the Patriot League without volleyball. Once she noticed this, Harris put all her effort into starting the SHS program. She was a coach at the Kingston Sports Center and YMCA for volleyball clinics. She feels that volleyball is about “teamwork, commitment, and perseverance.” She has not only coached volleyball for the past 10 years, but she has also coached basketball at all different levels. As a student, Harris played volleyball at Braintree High School and Bates College. She looks forward to the season and believes it is off to a great start. Harris is happy to be back to normal capacity and have fans in the stands; she believes it has really helped the energy and atmosphere in a full gymnasium. 

Sheila Mahoney has been the SHS varsity cheerleading coach for the past four years. Although she did not cheer in high school or college, she grew passionate about cheer when her daughters joined SciCoh cheer youth cheerleading. Although she has only been the cheer coach at SHS for four years, she has been coaching youth sports for 22 years. She loves the “spirit, sportsmanship, and community service aspects of cheer.” Mahoney says the season has been going well despite COVID restrictions, and she hopes to make it to the state championship for the first time this year. She believes the cheer team has a great chance with hard work and dedication. 

Kathleen McCarthy has been teaching for twenty-eight years. She was the Athletic Director at Scituate for 5 years, until she realized she enjoyed coaching more. McCarthy realized she wanted to teach when she was competing in track and field because she wanted to give back to the sport that provided her so much. She received a scholarship for track and field, sending her to college–which gave her many opportunities–and she hopes to do the same for others. She truly enjoys coaching, commenting the “bond you create with student-athletes is so much more.” She found herself relying on them as much as they rely on her. She ran in high school and college, with 800 meters being her best. McCarthy is excited for this year’s October 15th Twilight Meet, when students get to run under the lights on the fairground and for the rest of the season to come. 

The fall coaches all have a sincere passion and drive for their sports, which inspires SHS athletes. They hope for a great season ahead as the fall season continues into October.