DOVER — Maurice Paulk has coached in plenty of football games before.
He’s just never been the head coach before.
The new Dover High coach knows there’s a long list of responsibilities that are different for him now.
“The excitement will be there,” said Paulk. “But I can’t lie, I’ll be a little nervous.
“It’s going to be a lot different but my approach will always be the same as far as the preparation, the attention to details — just my everyday process of what comes along with the job of coaching football.”
Like every other coach, Paulk will begin the season feeling a little like he’s heading into the unknown until his squad actually takes the field.
Most high school teams in Delaware are opening the season with games this weekend spread out over Thursday, Friday and Saturday because of the Labor Day weekend.
Dover doesn’t play until Saturday at 8 p.m. when it goes to Wilmington’s Abessinio Stadium to face Troy, Pa. (1-0) as part of the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic.
Smyrna will also be in the event, taking on Downingtown West, Pa. (1-0) on Friday at 8 p.m.
The Eagles have taken on these kind of non-conference challenges before. This time, though, Smyrna coach Mike Judy is starting out with a very inexperienced roster.
“You don’t have to remind upperclassmen to fight every play,” said Judy. “(But) it takes time for the kids to get it because it’s not a natural thing.
“Human nature is to take the easy way out. And they have just started their journey with that really. There’s going to be times when we don’t get exactly what’s needed to play the game the right way.
“That’s OK. What you’re hoping for is that we get better — that we’re playing the game the right way on more snaps today than we did yesterday.”
Because this is the second year of the two-year scheduling cycle in Delaware, most teams are facing the same opponents in the same order as last season.
The only thing that’s changed is the contests are played at the opposite location as last fall.
Lake Forest coach Fred Johnson, whose team plays at Odessa on Thursday at 7 p.m., would gladly take a repeat of last year’s result. The Spartans downed the Ducks, 30-14, in their ‘23 opener.
But Johnson also knows Odessa has a new head coach in Nick DiGati while the program is now in its fourth season at the varsity level.
“He’s bringing a lot of energy to Odessa’s program,” Johnson said about DiGati. “I know the kids are going to be excited playing for a young coach.
“We’re just looking forward to the challenge. I know they’re going to be fired up and ready. We’re going to be fired up and ready for them as well.”
Caesar Rodney, which hosts William Penn on Thursday at 7 p.m., wouldn’t mind if things were different this season. The Riders are trying to win a season opener for the first time since 2020.
CR has gone just 2-29 over the past three seasons. One of those two victories was a 26-6 win over the Colonials in 2022.
“It’s just fun getting back to it and seeing all the work pay off since the end of last season,” said CR coach Shaun Strickland, who is starting his second season at his alma mater.
“With this group, it’s definitely come a long way. For the first time, probably in a couple years for some of these guys, they’re finally seeing their efforts pay off. And just the attitude and effort’s been different because of it.”
Dover is taking on a Troy team from upstate Pennsylvania that started its season with an 84-12 victory last week.
But, like most coaches, Paulk is just focused on his own players right now.
“I will say, from day one until now, we have gotten better,” he said. “When I watch film and see the strides that we’ve made over the past month, I’m pretty confident.
“We just need to make sure we’re doing what we need to be doing on our end — being a disciplined ball club, being mentally and physically prepared for the game and taking what they give you on both sides of the ball.”
Extra points
•Despite reported low player numbers and the resignation of its head coach during preseason, Early College is still planning to play its opener at Delaware Military on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Hornets, who are 1-27 in their three varsity seasons, forfeited their final two games of last season due to a lack of players.
•Despite its overall success, Smyrna is only 2-5 in its last seven season openers.
• Cape Henlopen , which reached the DIAA Class 3A state finals last fall, is trying to play in back-to-back state title games for the first time since 1978-79.
•After playing only four home games last season, Seaford is slated to play six this fall.
•Former CR head coach Dan Candeloro is back on the Riders’ sidelines as an assistant coach.
•Ex-Dover head coach Rudy Simonetti, who was an assistant for the Senators last fall, is helping out at Polytech.
•There are six games being played in the Pigskin Classic. On Thursday, Howard faces Hodgson at 3:45 p.m. before Salesianum takes on Episcopal, Pa. at 7:45 p.m.
On Friday, before the Smyrna game, McDonough, Md. plays Archbishop Stepinac, N.Y. at 4 p.m. On Saturday, before the Dover contest, Mount St. Joseph, Md. squares off with St. Thomas Aquinas, N.J. at 4 p.m.
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