St. Mary’s coach to step down after season

Al Jackson had enjoyed considerable success in his 14 years as head coach of the St. Mary’s boys soccer team. His teams have won league titles and done well in the state tournament, and he’s had individuals go on to excel at the college level.So what will he remember when he steps down at the end of the season? Strangely enough, one of his most memorable experiences coaching happened just the other day, when the Spartans played Salem High in a preseason scrimmage. The matchup gave him a chance to coach against one of his former players, Mike D’Agostino.”That was one of the biggest thrills I’ve had, coaching against a former player,” Jackson said.The veteran coach informed his players earlier this week that this would be his last season as head coach. Jackson works for Gillette, and as a result, and because of changes in his job responsibilities (he’ll be doing a lot of traveling, much of it outside the country), he’ll no longer be able to coach.Jackson will leave the job with some pretty impressive numbers. He only needs one more win to hit the 200-career-win milestone. His teams have won seven league titles during his 14 years, three in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference, where the Spartans played for the first eight years he coached, and four in the Catholic Central League. His most recent success was back-to-back league titles in 2005-06.”I’m not leaving because I want to. I’m leaving because of my work situation,” Jackson said.Although he has no plans on resurfacing as a head coach, Jackson said he hopes to stay involved in the sport, possibly as a volunteer assistant. Before becoming a varsity coach, Jackson was a youth soccer and club soccer coach. He has also run summer camps over the years.Jackson said one thing he wouldn’t mind being involved in is helping get some sort of day clinic and/or possibly a high school summer soccer league, for girls and boys, up and running at Manning Field. He said he, English High girls coach Ed McNeil, and Community Development’s John Kasian have had some discussions along these lines.Jackson said he has nothing but good things to say about St. Mary’s, athletic director Jeff Newhall, who actually played soccer for him for a few years, and particularly principal Carl DiMaiti.”I have nothing but the utmost respect for that man,” Jackson said about DiMaiti.Jackson said he plans to continue doing some officiating next year, and he hopes to stick around as a director of the Agganis Classic boys soccer game. Jackson has been involved in the Agganis game since soccer was added to the lineup.Jackson goal in his final year at the Spartan helm is to do what he has always done, and that’s have fun coaching the sport he loves. His teams have made the state tournament every year he has been coaching, so he’d certainly like to keep that streak intact.Jackson said he tells his players every year to have fun playing the game. He tells them if you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be there. The same holds true for coaching, he said.The Spartans get rolling next week, when they play in the annual Lynn City Tournament. This weekend, however, Jackson has a few other things going on. His daughter, Meghan, is getting married. Jackson and his wife, Debbie, also have a daughter, Melissa, who is Jackson’s goalie coach.