FORKS — Mark Feasel always wanted his own program.
With the Forks football team, he’ll inherit one in need of a makeover.
Feasel was named the Forks High School varsity head football coach and athletic director by the Quillayute Valley School District in May.
After spending the past two decades teaching and coaching sports in tiny St. Regis, Mont., the 51-year-old educator said it’s as if he and his wife, Cindy, are starting over again.
“For both of us it feels like we’re right out of college and jumping into a new job,” said Feasel, whose wife was named the high school’s assistant principal at the same School Board meeting.
“It’s either going to make us young or old — I don’t know yet, we’ll see.”
Feasel’s fresh start comes at a program looking to turn a page of its own.
The Spartans have gone 34-62 under five different head coaches in the 10 seasons since legendary coach Terry Jensen left the team in 2000.
Last year’s coach, Andrew Peterson, took the post weeks before fall two-a-days after Ron Hurn was forced to walk away because of conflicting work schedules. After guiding the Spartans to an 0-9 campaign, Peterson promptly resigned in November.
Now Feasel takes the reins in the first head football coaching position of his career.
“I thought I would retire and then just look for coaching jobs and be a substitute teacher,” Feasel said.
“That position opened in Forks [for athletic director and football coach], and for me being around sports my whole career, it was my dream job.”
Feasel’s previous football coaching experience came during a five-year stint as an assistant to Dan Lucier at Superior High School in Montana from 2001-05. (He was also an assistant boys basketball coach for Superior during that time.)
At different points in his career, he coached track and basketball at St. Regis School and ran a small fishing lodge.
After his own sons graduated from Superior and moved on to play college sports, Feasel stepped away from football.
While Feasel ran a lot of Wing-T as Superior’s co-offensive coordinator, he said he doesn’t plan on shaking up the Spartans’ traditional Power-I offense too much in the first year.
“I’m going to blend in what they’ve been doing with stuff I want to bring on,” said Feasal, who also played on scholarship for the Treasure Valley Community College football team in the late 1970s.
“I’ve got a pretty big plan of what I want to do. I just have to be careful to not bring too much on at once.
“A big thing is looking at what your strengths are and capitalizing on that.”
Feasel had the chance to get well-acquainted with those strengths during the Spartans’ visit to the Linfield College football camp earlier this month.
He and 32 Spartans attended the four-day camp, running the team’s traditional offensive and defensive sets.
Several of those players also participated in spring practices organized by Hurn.
“That was the best thing that could have happened for me and getting jump started with these guys,” Feasel said.
“Instead of walking into two-a-days in the fall, I have a pretty good feel for the kids and what we have coming.
“I’m extremely excited about what I saw at camp. I can’t wait to get back there.”
All told, Mark and Cindy spent 20 years at St. Regis School, where Cindy also coached volleyball and track and served as athletic director.
They had always been familiar with the North Olympic Peninsula, since the lodge they ran had a couple of steelhead trout from West End rivers mounted on its walls.
The high school sweethearts, originally from Ontario, Ore., eventually visited the area three years ago when Cindy ran in the North Olympic Discovery Marathon and instantly fell in love with it.
Once they saw an opportunity to live and work on the Peninsula — just months after Cindy completed her administrative degree — they jumped at it.
“We couldn’t believe it this fall when those positions opened up,” Mark said. “It was just exciting having a chance at them, and then we got them.
Added Mark: “You always don’t know going into a program what you’re walking into, but I feel really good about this bunch.”