Schools
West Hartford Resident Taking Over Canton Football Program
Paul Philippon sees 'a lot of potential' in the team.
Coach Paul Philippon is no stranger to struggling football teams. He is widely credited with turning around the football program at Bristol Eastern after taking the helm in 2004. In 2007 and 2008, he led the team to division titles.
Earlier this month, the West Hartford resident was introduced as the new football coach at . He will oversee the entire program and coach the varsity team, which is coming off a winless season.
But Philippon said he has already seen some positives. One is actually though game films.
Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I see a lot of potential,” he said, adding that the team will spend a lot of time focusing on fundamentals. “It’s going to be an opportunity to build something.”
He said he also has enjoyed meeting the players, who were nice and respectful.
Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“The kids I’ve met have been fantastic,” he said.
In fact Philippon said he’s really liked the attitudes of everyone he’s met, including Athletic Director Dee Stephan and the Friends of Canton Football.
This past year, Philippon was a defense backs coordinator at Trinity College. In addition to his time at Eastern, he also spent time as an assistant coach at and Glastonbury High schools.
“I miss working with high school athletes,” said Philippon, who is a Special Education English Teacher at Bristol Eastern. “It’s an important time in a young player’s life.”
Philippon will coach the varsity team and oversee the entire football program, Stephan said. The school will be hiring some assistants and a Junior varsity coach as well.
Philippon said he sees the number of players in the entire football program as the biggest challenge. Last year 40 boys started the season. Philippon said he is hopeful he can work on boosting those numbers.
Stephan said she knew of Philippon and is "very excited" to have him on board.
“He came extremely highly recommended and has an incredible coaching background,” Stephan said.
Philippon replaces Roger Pearl, who earlier this year announced he was leaving the program after five years.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
