As the prospects of a fall season creep closer and closer, the Marblehead athletic department announced this week that it has hired Elmer Magana as its new varsity boys soccer coach. Magana, who has served as the junior varsity coach at Marblehead for the past nine seasons, becomes the first Latino coach of the Magicians varsity program.
“I’m extremely excited to become the next head coach of Marblehead soccer,” said Magana, a native of El Salvador. “It’s a great honor to continue the winning tradition here and also to continue to grow our program year by year.”
“Elmer comes to the program as a very familiar face, as he has been doing an outstanding job with the JV boys soccer team for the last nine years,” said Marblehead Athletic Director Greg Ceglarski. “He has proven to us he has the experience and ability to continue building a successful team.”
Magana will take over the program that former head coach Scott Laramie has led for the last nine seasons.
“We want to thank Scott for his time and energy given to the program, as he was a valuable asset to the Marblehead coaching staff,” Ceglarski said.
Magana has had great success with the JV boys soccer program; posting winning seasons the last six years, going undefeated last year and only conceding ten goals in each of the last four seasons. Magana also works as a World Language teacher at Marblehead High, and his passion in the classroom and on the athletic field is rarely matched.
As the Magicians get set to hopefully embark on another season, Ceglarski is secure in knowing that his new boys soccer coach is already entrenched in the Marblehead way.
“We are thrilled to have Elmer at the forefront of the Marblehead boys soccer program,” said Ceglarski. “He brings passion, energy, and a wealth of knowledge to the school and we have no doubt it will be a smooth transition.”
“I’m happy that the guys will have a familiar face to look to, especially in a strange season like the one we’ll be having,” said Magana. “Almost all of these guys were my players in junior varsity over the years, so being able to continue this journey along with them will be very exciting.”
As for what’s next, Magana is hoping that his team can get out on the field and compete against the rest of the Northeastern Conference as soon as possible.
“We’re hoping that things continue in a positive direction and we’ll be able to get out on the field,” said Magana. “We’ll certainly follow all of the guidelines that the MIAA has put in place and we’ll do our best to compete against all of the great competition we have in our league.”