As Canton searches for new football coach, Philippon set to return to Eastern

Paul Philippon

Former Canton High football coach Paul Philippon is reportedly going back home. According to a tweet from the Bristol athletic director John Stavens and a report in the Bristol Press, Philippon has agreed to return as head coach at Bristol Eastern High.

However, according to the Bristol Press, the Bristol Eastern administration and Philippon declined to comment on the tweet and the head coaching position until it becomes official.

Philippon was a head coach at Bristol Eastern from 2004-08, compiling a record of 31-19-1 and leading the Lancers to two CCC South championships and a berth in the Class L playoffs in 2007. Philippon is a special education teacher in the Bristol school system.

At Canton, he coached for three years, posting a record of 24-9. It’s the most wins of any Canton coach in team history. The 2014 season was a memorable campaign. Canton went 10-2, won the Pequot Uncas Division championship with a perfect 9-0 record and earned a spot in the CIAC Class S playoffs for the first time ever, losing to eventual Class S Small Division champion Capital Prep/Achievement First.

The Warriors did it with a roster of just 26 players. And that is one of the reasons, Philippon resigned shortly after the season – the uncertain future of the program. Next fall, Canton is looking at 18 returning players – eight juniors, nine sophomores and a freshman.

“The whole plan was to build up the program,” Philippon said in December. “It can’t work for me if I have to be begging kids to play. The handwriting is on the wall.”

A search is ongoing for a new coach of the football program, according to Canton athletic director Craig DeAngelis. Applications closed on January 31 and DeAngelis said that the school received a sizeable amount of applications. He declined to share how many people have applied for the position.

A five-person search committee that includes DeAngelis is conducting the search. He hopes to announce a new coach before March.

DeAngelis said that the returning players and a few other students have been in the weight room, working out in preparation of next fall’s season.

He did say there is work underway to upgrade the weight room facilities at the school. DeAngelis and the Friends of Football committee are working to secure funding for the proposed work.

DeAngelis said that the current players are doing a good job of stirring up additional interest but the bottom line is that the team needs more players to survive – never mind be successful.

Canton dropped varsity football midway through the 1960 season due to a lack of players and dropped the program for good in 1964 at midseason for the same reason. Recently, the Housatonic Valley/Wamogo co-op limped through the 2013 season dropping to junior varsity level midway through the campaign. Housatonic played junior varsity football in 2014 and it’s unknown if they will return to the varsity level this fall.