This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/16/2018 12:00 AMThe East Haven High School football team will be kicking off the 2018 season with a new man on the sidelines as its head coach this fall. That man is Scott Benoit, who brings a wealth of local coaching experience to the Yellowjackets.
Scott, a Branford resident, has had coaching stints with several prominent football programs in the Southern Connecticut Conference, and even spent some time at the collegiate level. East Haven Athletic Director Anthony Verderame feels confident that Scott’s pedigree is going to prove huge in terms of helping the Yellowjackets rise up the ranks.
“There was an extensive search for the best possible coach to rebuild our football program. The committee chaired by Hank Luzzi was extremely proud to secure Coach Scott Benoit as the next head coach for East Haven football,” says Verderame. “Coach Benoit is a proven winner and well-respected coach. I am extremely excited to work with Coach Benoit and our new staff.”
Scott, 53, features an extensive background as both a player and a coach on the football field. He suited up at quarterback for West Haven High School from 1979 to 1982 and then spent two years at Western Connecticut State University. After his playing days were done, Scott quickly jumped into the coaching world.
“I love football. I love the preparation and strategy, all that stuff,” Scott says. “The opportunity to coach gave me a lot of responsibility, and that’s where I really fell in love with preparation and the bond between coaches and players.”
Scott started off as an assistant at North Haven High School for two years and then joined the coaching staff at West Haven, where he stayed from 1988 through 1994. He served as an assistant at Cheshire for the next two years, after which Scott took his first head-coaching position at North Branford in 1997. Scott coached the Thunderbirds through 2001, went to North Haven for the next season, then spent one year at West Haven and another with Amity.
In 2005, Scott landed his next opportunity as a head coach when he took the helm at Guilford, where he stayed for three seasons. He was Hamden’s head coach in 2008 and 2009, before deciding to try his hand on the college circuit.
Scott joined the University of New Haven’s (UNH) coaching staff for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and then returned to Guilford in an assistant capacity. After taking some time off, he went back to West Haven for a three-year stint as an assistant.
This past offseason, Scott was in Florida when he heard word that Melvin Wells was stepping down as East Haven’s head coach. Scott decided to throw his hat in the ring by applying for the position and says that he feels “fortunate to be selected.”
Not only does Scott feel fortunate to be taking the reins at East Haven, he wants to lead the Yellowjackets into battle as their head coach for years to come.
“There is no stepping stone. I’m 53, so this is my last stop on the gravy train. I plan to be here for the long haul,” says Scott. “I want this to be a positive experience for our kids to lay a foundation. As far as football goes, I want to play in relevant football games, especially at the end of the season. That’s what I’m looking forward to right now.”
Having played the quarterback position, Scott feels enthusiastic about working with East Haven’s offense. However, Scott is also a true student of the sport who’s learned a lot about what it takes to succeed on defense through the years. He’s looking forward to helping the Easties maximize their potential on both ends of the field.
“I was on the offensive side of the ball for a long time. Even when I played, I didn’t play defense. When I went to Cheshire and was an assistant under Mark Ecke, he was a college teammate and roommate of mine and I learned defense under him. I coached his secondary and, ever since then, I just had a knack for the defensive side of the ball,” Scott says. “At Hamden, I was the head coach and defensive coordinator pretty much out of the fact that we had nobody else to [be the defensive coordinator]. At UNH, I was the defensive backs coach. I’ve been on the defensive side of the ball since 2008, so I’m happy to be back on the offensive side of the ball now.”
Scott and Wells share similar philosophies when it comes to formulating an offensive game-plan. Wells ran the Wing T offense at East Haven, and Scott plans to employ a similar option scheme.
“We are old-fashioned. We take the ball from under center with two backs and use a tight end. It’s a little archaic, and you don’t see it much anymore, but it’s what I know and what I believe in. Our kids have done a good job in a short period of time,” says Scott. “I-form, option football is the base of what we do. This is something we believe in and something I’ve done for many years. All these guys played for Coach Wells and have a basis for what we do. It’s different, but similar, so there is some carryover.”
As the 2018 campaign draws closer, Scott feels excited to lead the Yellowjackets onto the gridiron this year. Scott was unsure if he’d ever get back into coaching, but he’s happy to be doing so in East Haven.
“I was out of it for a while, but when this opportunity came, I thought about it, and I miss it. Once you’ve done it, you miss it,” Scott says. “We had a very good spring practice, and I’m very impressed with the attitude and ability of these kids. Summer has been good, so we’re looking forward to it.”