Waterville Senior High School is lucky to have a coach the caliber of Ian Wilson.

Since 1997, when he arrived at the school, he's coached 11 state championship teams, most of those in indoor and outdoor track.
Wilson added No. 11 on Saturday when the girls soccer team won the Class A state title with a 5-1 win over Gorham. This was a veteran group that barely lost the year before in the state final, and Wilson admits they were self-motivated and a joy to coach. Still, he pushed them when needed.
"Coach Wilson had a lot to do with it," senior Stephanie Whitten said. "He pumps us so much before games it's incredible. He has a great way with words."
Wilson will get a few days off before the indoor track season begins.
"I've done nothing but sleep for the last two days," he said this week. "But it's a lot of fun working with such talented athletes."
In truth, Wilson rarely takes any time off. When he's not coaching, he's studying about coaching, through books or seminars. He's spent thousands of his own dollars traveling around the country in order to become a better, more knowledgeable coach. It's paid off for Wilson and Waterville's athletes.
"He wants to make every single athlete to achieve their best," senior Anna Thurston said.
One more note. Wilson coached Waterville girls soccer in 1998 but was not asked back after getting caught in a parental dispute. He moved on to coach soccer at three other schools before returning to Waterville two years ago. Holding a grudge, he said, is no way to coach, but he admits Saturday's win was satisfying on a couple of levels.
"I'd be lying if I said no," he said. "That was pretty sweet from a personal standpoint."