Marcus Carr hopes the Coupeville High School football coaching elevator has a long stay on his floor.

Carr is the Wolves’ fifth head football coach since Ron Bagby, who coached 26 years, stepped own in 2009.

“I see myself being the head coach at Coupeville for a long time,” Carr said. “It is hard on the players with the amount of turnover, and it’s hard on a program when you don’t have stability. I want to change that.”

Carr, who lives in Oak Harbor, comes to Coupeville after leading the Concrete High School program for two years.

He posted a 13-6 record with the Lions, including 7-3 last fall when Concrete won the Northwest League title with a 5-0 record and qualified for the playoffs.

Carr was named NWL Coach of the Year in 2017.

The stint in Concrete was Carr’s first as a high school head coach.

Carr played football, baseball, basketball and soccer while growing up, and he graduated from Lawton High School in Oklahoma in 1992.

He joined the Navy after high school and retired in 2012; he then worked for Island Transit for two years. He is currently an information tech for the Mount Vernon School District.

Prior to working in Concrete, Carr coached youth football in Virginia, Texas, Oak Harbor and Mount Vernon; he also coached at the semi-pro level.

“I have wanted to coach high school football on the island for several years,” Carr said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to be the head coach at Coupeville.”

The Wolves’ offense will feature a shot-gun, double-wing formation, he said. The defensive alignment will be a 4-2-5.

“I want our team to be one of the top 10 teams in 1A year after year,” Carr said. “We are going to be a hard-nosed, hard-working football program.”

His goal for his players is for them to realize that if they work hard and dedicate themselves to being the best they can be, “good things will happen.”

In addition to football, Carr will emphasize the importance of academics and community service to his team.

“I want my players to have successful careers after they are done playing football, so I want them to have the best education possible,” Carr said. “I also want our players to be well respected in the community. I want us to be able to support the community like they support us on Friday nights.”

Carr and the Wolves begin practice Wednesday, Aug. 15.

Coupeville will get its first taste of live action when it competes in the Anacortes Jamboree at noon Saturday, Aug. 25.

The first game is on the road at Port Townsend at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31.

The Wolves open play in their new league, the North Sound Conference, at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, when King’s visits Mickey Clark Field.