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Coach's Corner: Manchester Essex's Mike Athanas

Thursday, November, 08 By Matt Langone
Staff writer

Mike Athanas is synonymous with Manchester Essex football. The 37-year-old moved to Manchester 27 years ago and was a student in the town's school system. He was a captain and standout tailback on the high school football team, as well as, a second baseman on the baseball team. After continuing his football career for two years at Springfield College and graduating from the school, Athanas returned to his hometown with a coaching itch that was waiting to be scratched.

He became an assistant coach with the Hornets in 2000, and is now in his fourth year as the program's head coach. Athanas' system, which features a high-powered spread offense, has become one of the more exciting to watch on the North Shore.

What brought you to the North Shore?
"My family moved to Manchester from Woburn when I was 10-years-old, so I basically grew up in Manchester."

Where do you live?
"I still live in Manchester."

How much football did you play growing up?
"I started playing Pop Warner as soon as I moved to Manchester. I played for the Gloucester Chargers because Manchester didn't have youth football. Then I played tailback in high school and went on to play for two years at Springfield College. I hurt my knee at the end of my sophomore season and decided to stop playing."

What type of commitment does it take to play college football, even in Division 2 or 3?
"There is so much time commitment that you have to put into football. You play in the fall and then you have a whole month of spring football. Plus you have to balance in school work."

What do you enjoy most about coaching high school football?
"I just like teaching kids and being around the kids. We have kids that come out as freshmen and don't really know how to play the game. You watch them go through the program for four years, and you see their progress by their senior year. It's very rewarding."

What is your motivation behind running a spread offense?
"I've always been a fan of passing the ball. I think the hardest thing to do in high school football is cover the pass. If you have athletes to throw and catch the ball, and you can do that well, then it's hard to defend it. We don't usually have the big strong kids up front, so with the athletes we have it's better to spread the ball. We always try to be as balanced as we can."

Do you prefer college football or the NFL? "I like watching both. I'll watch high school football if it's on TV. I probably tend to watch a little more college football, because I'm usually spending time with the family on Sundays."

Do you agree with the Bowl Championship Series, or would you prefer a season-ending tournament in college football?
"If they could do a tournament and not effect the kid's school work, then it makes no sense to me why they wouldn't. In a perfect world, a tourney would be the way to do it."

How much longer do you see yourself coaching?
"I've been doing it for a while and I love it. I can't see myself stopping until someone makes me."

Do you have any other coaching aspirations?
"I love coaching high school. It's something special to coach at the school that I went to. I love the atmosphere at Manchester Essex."