New Dover football coach wants to keep Senators winning

DOVER — Discipline is a big thing with Maurice Paulk.

But that word means a lot of things to the first-year Dover High football coach.

For one thing, said Paulk, it means being focused on all the details that go into running a successful play.

“You think about small things that can lead to big issues,” Paulk said earlier this summer. “If you jump offsides all the time, mentally, you’re not disciplined.

“Just being able to focus up and understand what discipline looks like on an every-day basis, that’s going to carry you throughout the season. .... We can have better athletes out there. But if you’re not disciplined, you’re not focused, then you’re going to lose those close games.”

Paulk, of course, wants to keep the Senators winning.

Dover, which finished 9-2 last fall and reached the DIAA Class 3A state finals the year before, opened its first preseason practice under Paulk on Monday.

Teams that begin the season on the weekend of Aug. 29-31 were permitted to get underway this week. The majority of teams in the state fit into that category, including 13 Downstate squads.

Dover was able to start practice on Monday because it recently added a 10th game to its schedule. The Senators open up against Troy (Pa.) on Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. at Wilmington’s Abessinio Stadium as part of the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic.

Troy finished 12-1 a year ago and is 29-8 over the last three seasons.

Continuing its successful run won’t be easy for Dover. It lost a number of key players, including quarterback Nahseem Cosme, running back Jakwon Kilby and receiver John Parker, who transferred to Middletown.

The 40-year-old Paulk, who was hired on April 25, has been a college coach for nine years, including the last three coaching the offensive line at NCAA Division II Bowie State.

He also has been an assistant at Howard University, Virginia State, Lincoln and Alvernia. In addition, Paulk has been an assistant coach at Glasgow High, from 2007-08 and 2013-15, giving him a total of 15 seasons in the profession.

Paulk said he sees a great deal of potential in the Senators. Dover does have some good returning players led by senior Mikey Stevenson, who was the Class 3A Lineman of the Year last season.

“The talent I’ve seen is something special,” Paulk said earlier. “Some of them don’t even really know how talented they are. Now one of the biggest things we talk about is upping their football IQ to go along with the talent.

“So now you’re not just talented, now you understand the game and what we’re trying to accomplish. We have football school every day. All we’re doing is going through the process of what you’re responsibilities are supposed to be on the field and what it looks like.

“Now you’re visualizing it. Then we go to the field and we put it on display.”

Dover has a pair of scrimmages scheduled. It goes to St. Mary’s Ryken, Md. on Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. before hosting Laurel on Aug. 22 at 4 p.m.

After facing Troy in its opener, the Senators play five of their next six games at home.

“Those guys have been working hard,” said Paulk. “I could sit here and say I wish I got here in January but that wasn’t in the cards for me.

“It’s not to say that we don’t have enough time, it’s just that we’re on a time crunch. With that time crunch, we’ve got to understand what that process is going to look like.”