Elliott takes over for Saucier as Woodstock
Academy head football coach
Humbled.
It was the emotion that Connor Elliott said he experienced after talking with Woodstock Academy athletic director Sean Saucier last week.
In that meeting, Saucier relayed to Elliott that he had hoped to step aside as head football coach of the Centaurs and asked Elliott if he would be interested in taking over.
“To be thought of that way by someone whom I consider to be a mentor, not only on the football field, but in my life, it’s humbling in that way. We had peripheral conversations around the topic this winter and I told Sean that I feel as ready for it as I ever have, I don’t know if I would have said that two years ago,” Elliott said.
But last spring, Elliott took over the baseball program from Brian Murphy and guided Woodstock Academy to its first-ever state championship in the sport.
It gave the 28-year-old East Lyme High and UConn grad confidence.
Elliott was officially offered and accepted the job as Woodstock head football coach on Tuesday morning.
It ends a long association with the sport for Saucier who will continue in his role as the school’s athletic director.
The former Putnam High football player returned to the area after a stint in the U.S. Navy and was a long-time assistant coach for the Hyde School football program.
He took over the reins of that program in 2006 and guided the Wolfpack to the Mike Atkins Prep School football bowl game in 2014.
When Hyde School announced it was consolidating operations in Maine, Saucier opted to stay close to home and was offered the Woodstock Academy job in 2017.
He led the Centaurs to an ECC Div. II title in 2021.
In the process, he also became the school’s athletic director and being both AD and football coach is “monumentally difficult.”
“It’s slightly complicated but to boil it down, professional and family goals,” Saucier said when asked why he was giving up the helm of the football team. ”Football has become a year-round commitment. When you are pulled in different directions, it’s hard to meet that obligation. After 24 falls of doing it, it feels like the right time. I’m proud of what I have done and what the staff has done. We’ve had, in my opinion, some really spectacular years and I think there are a few more coming.”
That optimism is due to the fact that he feels the right person is in place.
Elliott has served as the team’s offensive coordinator for the last six seasons.
“Connor has worked very hard to put himself in this position and he has certainly earned it. Passing it to another coach who will be in the building (Elliott teaches social studies) and has a great role at the school is perfect. The infrastructure- the weight room, the film room – is in place. We have everything we need to be successful and we have some young talent coming and a staff that loves to be here.”
Saucier said he will still be around the program
He will likely still do a lot of the logistical things that athletic directors do and will also help with the equipment and behind-the- scenes tasks such as setting up the field.
Elliott did have a test run as head coach.
He briefly took over for Saucier as head coach when a family illness took Saucier away from the sidelines for a couple of games in 2022.
“It opened my eyes as to how much actually goes into it that you don’t realize until you actually step into that role. But it did take a couple more years before I think I was going to be ready to handle that. I think baseball helped with that, too. I feel more comfortable. I don’t know if I fully know what I’m getting myself into but I’m definitely more comfortable,” Elliott said.
He thinks he will be ready for the rapid change from baseball in the spring to football in the fall.
After all, he had done it throughout his youth years, playing both sports.
“I’m curious to see how that will go from a coaching perspective but I’m lucky to have great coaches on both staffs where I know that I can trust them to get whatever needs to be done – done,” Elliott said.
Elliott said he expects Mike Harpin to remain as defensive coordinator of the Centaurs with Cahan Quinn, Raleigh Brailsford, Jesse Bousquet and Nick Bessette expected to remain on as well. Will Elliott still serve as the team’s play-caller? “I have trust issues,” Elliott said with a laugh. “When I took over for that short span a couple of years ago, I remember thinking I would never call plays and be head coach at the same time. We will see. There will be some conversations.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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caption:
New Coach
Woodstock Academy athletic director and former head football coach Sean Saucier, left, congratulates his successor as head football coach at the school, Connor Elliott. Photo courtesy of The Woodstock Academy.