It’s all coming full circle for Conor Douglass.
A 2013 graduate of Rockport High, Douglass shined as a three-sport athlete and remains one of the most well rounded soccer players the school has ever seen.
Now, the former Viking is back where it all started, taking over as the new Rockport boys varsity soccer coach.
“I’m super excited,” said Douglass. “I know Rockport is so prideful and everyone loves the sports for the high school teams, and I know what it means to be a Viking and play under the lights at Rockport High. It just felt like the right fit for me and the timing worked out, so I jumped on the opportunity.”
Although his playing career is quite impressive and his knowledge for the game runs deep, Douglass admits he has limited coaching experience. He served as a voluntary assistant under his former coach Dave Curley during the 2018 varsity season before moving to Florida for an extended time.
Now, he’s back on Cape Ann, currently living in Gloucester, and is eager to get things started.
“I met with the four captains the other day, they all seemed like great kids with good heads on their shoulders,” said Douglass. “They all play in a summer league so I’ll get to see them compete soon, see how they work together, and we’ll have a team meeting coming up pretty shortly.”
Douglass succeeds former coach Lou Savlen, who was with the program for the past two seasons. Rockport qualified for the Division 5 state tournament in each of those years, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2023. Savlen held an overall record of 19-18-3 during his tenure, including a 6-11-3 mark last fall.
Competitive fire
A two-time Gloucester Daily Times Male Athlete of the Year for Rockport, Douglass was no stranger to success when it came to high school athletics.
In addition to soccer, he played both hockey and baseball at Rockport, earning recognition as a league all-star numerous times in both sports while helping his teams qualify for the state tournament. Among his other noteworthy accomplishments, he eclipsed 100 career points on the ice.
But soccer was always Douglass’ true passion, and it showed with his play.
The versatile 5-foot-9 standout played for the Vikings’ JV team during his seventh and eighth-grade years before making varsity as a freshman. He went on to have an illustrious career in the Maroon-and-Silver, leading the entire Cape Ann League in scoring as a senior while taking home CAL Small Player of the Year honors in the process.
Upon graduation, he attended and competed for New England College where he quickly became a mainstay in the lineup. Douglass ultimately started 20 of his team’s 22 games as a senior in 2016 after switching positions.
Douglass believes his understanding of multiple positions will allow him to work closely with all of his athletes and give him an upper hand when it comes to varying game-day schemes.
“I played forward in high school and once I got to college I played center mid my freshman year then moved to wing back (defense) the remaining three years,” said Douglass. “I know every position on the field at this point which is nice.
“The plan for me is to build from the back,” he added. “We have a super athletic goalie (returning CAL first-team all-star and Eastern Mass. all-star Zakarya Bouafi) who can control the tempo of the game. So we’ll start from the back, have a solid back line and try to control of the middle of the field.”
Douglass also plans to bring on two assistant coaches: Jonathan Ferrante and Carter Ocko. Ferrante graduated from Rockport High in 2014 and was also a four-year member of the soccer team while Ocko played for four years at St. John’s Prep and went on to earn All-American status at Endicott College.
Off the pitch, Douglass works as a boat captain for commuter ferries running in and out of Boston Harbor. He also works in the summer months for his parents’ company, Cape Ann Whale Watch, which operates out of Gloucester.
The fall season is still months away at this point, but Douglass is already beginning early plans for the team and is looking forward to learning as much about his players as possible heading into the new campaign.
“I honestly don’t know much about the players themselves yet, but I know that we have a lot of returning players which I’m super excited about,” said Douglass. “They’ve had some taste of success at this level and I want to build off of that.”
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.