Trending
After nearly two months of the position being open, Dunkirk has found its new head football coach, Mark Benton.
Benton was most recently an assistant coach with the Silver Creek/Forestville Black Knights in 2019, but is excited to be back in the role as head coach -- a title he has had for 21 years in his career, with most of them at Gowanda.
"I'm a leader, not a follower, I've always been that way," Benton said about returning to a head coaching role after years of being an assistant.
While most coaches have either been at their programs for years or had some time to get familiar with their team and players in the program, Benton just met his team a week ago.
"This is going to be a major challenge knowing the teams have had the summer together," said Benton. "I met the kids for the first time last week. I'm using my experience and organizational skills to get a good staff together."
Experience is something that Benton certainly brings to the table. In 1978, Benton got his first taste of coaching with the Dunkirk program as an assistant and has been a head coach of the program in the past, landing the role for the first time in 1998.
"I got my start with Dunkirk as an assistant," Benton noted. "I have worked with JV coaches all the way to high-level NFL coaches."
Benton has in the past worked for Jim Kelly in football operations and had the opportunity to be employed by the NFL a few times in their training camps.
Benton plans on using that experience to return the program to prominence.
"I always have had to basically rebuild," Benton said about his coaching experiences. "Dunkirk had a nice run a couple of years ago and has been on a downturn. The athletic ability is there it's just how well you can organize it -- there is certainly some raw talent."
Seldom do coaches step into perfect situations and in Dunkirk's situation Benton will be faced with an uphill battle, thanks in large to the late start and tough schedule facing the Marauders this year.
"The schedule is very difficult, we're going to have a challenge," said Benton. "We're not afraid of the challenge, but we're going to be realistic where we're at right now too."
Where Dunkirk is currently at right now is coming off a lackluster season that did not yield a win. On top of that, the Marauders graduated senior running back Chris Ortiz and senior offensive lineman Ashton Freitas. Both Ortiz and Freitas were named to the Class B-2 All-Star First Team.
"We're going to compete, even against these bigger schools," Benton said. "No offseason is the tough part, but I am very upbeat in the way I coach."
Dunkirk's season schedule will see them compete against five teams that played in a higher class size last season, Kenmore East A2, Iroquois B1, Pioneer B1, West Seneca East B1.
Just five years ago, Dunkirk made it to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Final Four, one of its best seasons in program history. Now, five years later, after a shortened pandemic spring season that yielded no wins, the Marauders look to a new coach to try and get them back there.
Benton said he plans to bring "a lot of new and positive energy to the program."
The Marauders will be hoping that Benton's past experience, positive energy and organizational skills can get the program back on track utilizing one of the best talent pools in the county.