7/23/09
When his high school alma mater came looking for a new football coach, Jesus Maes answered the call.
Maes signed a contract last week to coach Dulce High School. He will be paid an annual stipend of $3,800.
Maes was working as a lifeguard for Rio Arriba County when Dulce High School offered him the job. In his first head coaching assignment, he had led the Escalante Lobos in 2008 to a 4-6 record but was not rehired after last season. Escalante had been decimated by graduation and Maes’ team had no seniors on its roster.
“I was a little bitter when I lost that job because I had laid the foundation for next year,” Maes said. “I’ve moved on. Escalante gave me head coaching experience and they helped my career as much as I helped their program.”
Maes said after he got over his bitterness, former Escalante coach Richard Atencio helped get him interested in coaching again.
“I kinda missed the kids and not being in the sport,” Maes said.
Dulce had opened up the football coaching position, and then coach Ron Graham decided not to reapply. Graham had been at Dulce for seven years and in 2006 had led the Hawks to the District 1AA championship, the first in school history.
Maes, a 1995 graduate of Dulce High School, had served as an assistant at Española Valley High School from 2005 to 2007 under then head coach Manny Medina. While there, he called the plays for the Sundevils’ spread offense.
Maes said he has also been offered a full-time position at Dulce. He will work either with In School Suspension Program or in a computer-based program that gives failing students a second chance at graduation.
Dulce finished last season with a 4-5 record overall and was 3-3 in District 1AA. Once again, he will have no seniors on his team. He reports that he has had 10 to 12 players show up for preseason workouts.
“Stepping on that field again, remembering all those memories, I feel recharged,” Maes said. “I can’t wait for the season to start.”