Jamie Emerson left her job as the head coach of the Old Town High School field hockey team a year ago.
At the time, she and her husband, Kevin, had moved to Brewer, and she wanted to spend more time with him and their three small sons.
But she missed coaching, and when the Brewer field hockey job opened up she applied for it.
Now Emerson is the head coach of the Witches, and inherits a team that went 12-30 during its last three seasons in Class A. Emerson, who compiled a 70-26-2 record in her eight seasons at Old Town in Class B, is hoping to elevate Brewer’s program into a Class A playoff contender.
“She’s a great coach,” said Brewer High School Athletic Director David Utterback.
“She has proven to be successful. She gets the most out of her players. She built Old Town’s program [into a contender] and that’s the type of program we want to have at Brewer.”
The 34-year-old Emerson replaces Jessica Russell, who has relocated to southern Maine after three seasons coaching at Brewer, according to Utterback.
“My decision to leave Old Town was heartbreaking. It was hard for me to leave. It was like family. [Assistant] Heather Richards and I are very close. But after having my third son, I had to put my family first. The travel was too much,” said Emerson, whose name was previously Jamie Flagg.
“But I missed coaching so much last year and when the Brewer job opened up, I had to apply for it,” said the behavioral analyst for the Brewer school district.
Under the direction of Courtney Lanham, Old Town won the Class B North title in 2021 before losing to Leavitt of Turner 1-0 in the state championship game.
Emerson said she was elated with Old Town’s success and proud of her former players and coaches.
Old Town was 3-9-2 in the year previous to her coming to Old Town and she never had a losing season.
Emerson was a standout field hockey player at Belfast High School and went on to play at the University of Maine.
She is embracing the challenge that lies ahead.
“It’s going to be really fun for me. I came from a really competitive program at Belfast and that’s what I want at Brewer,” she said. “The key is getting the girls to buy in and want to be a part of a competitive program. We’re going to have fun but we are also going to be competitive.”
She will coach the Brewer High School summer program team to establish a rapport with the players and evaluate their skill sets.
She said she will also get involved at the lower levels and help with the feeder program.
“I’m really excited to get back into coaching,” added Emerson, the mother of 5-year-old Jace, 3-year-old Korbin and 1-year-old Kyler Emerson.
