By Andy Walter

DOVER — Maurice Paulk knows that the start of next football season is only about four months away.

He also knows that Dover High’s football players have been without a head coach for a couple months.

So Paulk, who was officially hired as the Senators’ new head coach on Wednesday night, knows he needs to hit the ground running.

“I feel like now that they know they have a guy, it’s time to ramp things up,” said Paulk. “We don’t have time to waste. I have that feeling and I’m pretty sure they (the players) have that feeling as well.”

The 40-year-old Paulk replaces Chip Knapp, who coached Dover for the last three seasons. Knapp, the former long-time Wesley coach who led Dover to the DIAA Class 3A state finals in 2022, stepped down in February.

Paulk has been a college coach for 14 years, including the last three coaching the offensive line at NCAA Division II Bowie State.

He also has been an assistant at Howard University, Virginia State, Lincoln and Alvernia. In addition, Paulk has been an assistant coach at Glasgow High, from 2007-08 and 2013-15.

Paulk said he wanted to get into coaching because his dad, Peter, was a youth coach in the Philadelphia area. A lineman in high school, Paulk graduated from Cheyney University in 2006 but didn’t play football there.

“I knew, at some point, I wanted to coach,” said Paulk. “I wanted to help kids out — that’s what I saw him (his father) do.

“He coached me growing up. So watching him and watching how he interacted with my teammates and players after me, I realized that was something I wanted to do.”

Dover athletic director Kevin Turner said he likes the level of coaching experience that Paulk has. He said everyone he asked about the new coach said that he’s got a great work ethic.

“They all kind of had the same theme as to him being the hardest worker in the room,” said Turner. “That really just spoke volumes to me.

“I’m just excited to kind of get moving. We’ve talked almost daily. He’s done a lot of homework. Every day’s just been a positive day in my interactions with him.”

Counting Paulk, the Senators have had only seven head football coaches since 1986. Dover won Division I state championships in 1977 and ‘88 while also reaching the state finals in 2001 and ‘22.

A year ago, the Senators finished 9-2 and were the only team to beat eventual Class 3A state champion Salesianum. Dover is losing 19 seniors from that squad but returns standout lineman Mikey Stevenson and receiver John Parker.

Paulk said he’s always wanted to be a high school head coach.

“I saw the opening and I said, ‘Why not now?’” he said. “I know they went to the state championship in 2022. While they lost a lot of seniors, they have a lot of guys returning. We’ve just got to put in the work.

“The one thing about the offensive line is it’s trying to get five guys to work as one. One thing I feel is important with the team in general is making sure that your offensive and your defensive line are up to par. Those guys need to be physical and they need to be smart.”

While Paulk said there’s room for football to be fun, he also said, “I want to make sure we’re putting a good product out there.”

“That starts with having community support along with parent support, along with administration support within the school,” said Paulk. “It’s about the overall team buying in and understanding we’re behind the eight ball. The sooner we get over this hump of ‘Hey, we have a new head coach,’ now it’s time to ramp things up in the weight room so we can work toward that common goal. ... I’m just excited to get started.”

“A lot of his offensive and defensive philosophies weren’t really far removed from what we’ve been doing,” said Turner. “I thought that would be good for our kids. He spoke a lot with the student-athletes in mind. ... I think it’s a great fit for Dover High School. I think it’s going to be a great fit for Coach Paulk.”

The plan is for Paulk to work in the high school — that was something that was also important to him. He said he wants to be part of the school community not just a football coach.

“One of the things that’s very important to me is making sure that these kids have short-term and long-term goals,” said Paulk. “How as a football staff can we help you achieve those goals — not only on the football field but through academics. That’s one of the things that I stress the most.

“I just want let the community know that you’re going to get my all,” he added. “My goal is to be there for these kids. I’m not only there for them through the season. ... I’m here for you throughout the whole year.”

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