From left to right, new Winchendon coaches Jackson Zancan, Alex Popp and Chris Kirkland. (Alex Popp)
Back in June, just before the recruiting live period, Alex Popp – who’s back in New England and fresh to his new role at Winchendon – hopped on a Zoom call for a NEPSAC Class AA coaches’ meeting. He was among the first ones logged on, in a funny twist of fate, alongside two familiar faces.
Popp looked up on his screen and saw two coaches he has a history of competing against. Worcester Academy’s Jamie Sullivan was there, and so was Tilton’s Marcus O’Neil, who like Popp, is also returning to the New England prep coaching ranks this year.
“It was like deja vu all over again,” Popp said. “It was really cool. …
“We were talking about how it’s going to go in June, but it was irresistible to kind of make a couple jokes about the situation.”
