A lot of people are drinking the Kyle Gallant Kool-Aid in Hermon, and for good reason.
That’s according to Rick Sinclair, the athletic director in Hermon, where head high school football coach Gallant and his Hawks are a perfect 5-0 so far this season.
The fast start follows an impressive 8-3 campaign a year ago, when Gallant’s Hermon team made its first state championship game.
The Hawks have built on that runner-up season a year ago by outscoring opponents 157-44 so far this season. And the Hermon fans are loving it.
Those fans packed the stands and swarmed the hill overlooking Pottle Field for last Friday night’s homecoming matchup against Skowhegan. And despite playing up a division against a Class B opponent, the Class C Hermon team rewarded that enthusiastic crowd with another comfortable win.
The student band was rocking. There were fireworks at half time. In just a few years, the new turf facility at Pottle Field has become a booming fixture in the Maine football scene.
“Friday nights in Hermon are a community event, for sure,” Sinclair said.
That’s only been the case for about 15 years, at least as far as football goes. It wasn’t until 2011 that Hermon hosted its first football game. But from the way the Hawks fans show up for their team, you’d think it has always been that way.
‘This town’s been good to me’
While navigating that bustling crowd and looking for fans to interview about the atmosphere, a reporter noticed a man sporting a Hermon Hawks hat and standing by the field during warmups.
“This program has come a long way in a very short time,” the fan said.
A Hermon High School graduate from years ago, he is thrilled to see football become such a central part of the community.
“Hermon never had a team when I played here,” the man said. That’s why I’m so supportive of it.”
After sharing his amazement at the turnout of fans, he was asked his name. The fan smiled and hesitated, with what seemed to be a mixture of bemusement and humility.
Then he introduced himself as Barry Pottle. That’s the same Barry Pottle who, with his family, donated $400,000 toward the athletic facility upgrades at the field that now bears their name.
He sees football as a sport that brings both the student athletes and community together. He’s lived in that community all his life, and built a successful trucking business over roughly 40 years.
“The town’s been good to me,” Pottle said.
While Pottle didn’t rush to announce himself Friday night, he was lightning quick to credit the rest of the community for laying the groundwork for this surging football program.
“It took a lot of people, not just me,” he said about the multimillion dollar facility upgrades, which required buy-in from town voters.
That’s how several interactions with fans and team officials went on Friday night: Everybody’s excited about the progress, but nobody really wants to take too much credit for it. They’d rather point to the work done across the community
It takes a village
The person who seems to be getting most of the credit is Gallant, now in his ninth year at the helm. The former John Bapst standout player and assistant coach hauled in his 50th win as a head coach on Friday night against Skowhegan.
But he had much more to say about the community support than his personal milestone.
“This is one of the best places to play in the state,” Gallant said after the win. “If you haven’t been to Pottle Field on a Friday night, you’re missing out.”
He credited the players, parents, rec program, town officials, school staff, fans and local businesses for all of the effort and support.
“And it started years ago, from the guys and ladies that got it off the ground, to here we are today,” Gallant said. “It’s taken everybody. It’s taken the current villages, it’s taken the village from 15 years ago, and I’m so proud of everybody who’s always been involved with the Hawks.”
Sinclair pointed to Gallant’s longtime involvement in the town’s youth football program as well — a program that the athletic director said has swelled to around 180 kids.
“People are waiting to play for the Hawks,” Sinclair said about the enthusiasm around the program.
Parking at the grocery store
That enthusiasm was palpable in the stands as well, especially from several parents.
“This vibe has exploded over the last couple of years,” said Joshua Kelsey, whose son Orono Kelsey is a freshman offensive and defensive lineman on the team. “And it’s amazing to walk out and see the stands filled to the max, to see the hill filled to the max.”
That starts with the atmosphere that Gallant has built in the locker room.
“It’s a whole culture that he’s built here since he became the head coach,” Kelsey added about Gallant. “And the kids have totally brought into the football program, being involved in the community.”
Danielle Murzyn’s son Jacob Murzyn is a senior captain for the Hawks. She said that crowds have been so large at home games that people have been parking across the street at the nearby grocery store.
“It’s unbelievable to see this place filled up week after week,” Murzyn said. “It’s a small town, for sure, that absolutely just loves this team.”
And the energy around the team is getting bigger and better every year, she added.
Justin Perry, who has been announcing the football games for Hermon for about 12 years, shared a similar sentiment.
“It’s incredible to see the growth of it, both with the program itself, the facility itself, everything about it,” Perry said after the homecoming win.
Perry graduated from Hermon High School in 1997, well before the advent of the football program, and said it’s “pretty neat to see” the sport become such a community staple.
“You hear the buzz around town,” Perry said.
And the players are certainly noticing that buzz as well, and feeding off it.
“The crowd is really what puts us into motion,” said junior wide receiver and defensive back Conner McAlpine. “They’re always locked in, they’re always cheering us on, and I think that really helps us during games.”
The undefeated Hawks play next on Friday night away at 2-3 Brewer.