YARMOUTH — Justin Morrill knew his first practice as Yarmouth High’s boys’ soccer coach would feel a little strange, no matter his preparation. When he addressed the Clippers shortly after 6 a.m. Monday morning, he was almost surprised to hear his own voice, not that of former head coach Mike Hagerty.

“It was weird this morning. I’ve always loved the 6 a.m. practices. We did them when I was in high school. The first morning without Coach Hagerty, we always knew it was going to be a little weird,” Morrill said. “But the boys came ready and a lot of kids are in shape. Once you get into it, it’s exciting to get going..”

In May, Hagerty retired after a 30-year coaching career, the last 27 years with the Yarmouth boys’ program. Hagerty won 13 of his 14 state titles with the Clippers. A longtime assistant coach and former Yarmouth player, Morrill was named head coach in June.

“It’s a little different, but Justin’s been with us. The principles and the way we play and the way we think is all the same,” said senior back Ward Jenkins.

Monday marked the first day of practice for all high school fall sports.

Even with a new coach for the first time in 27 years, the Clippers will look to chase down a fifth straight Class B state title. The quest begins with the season opener on Sept. 5 at Greely. The Clippers have won eight of the last nine Class B titles.

Is there pressure that comes with that success? Of course.

“As Coach Hagerty always said, pressure is privilege. We like pressure,” said Zach Lattanzi, a senior midfielder.

In Morrill, the Clippers have a coach who is well-equipped to handle the task of succeeding Hagerty. An assistant coach the last seven years, Morrill is a 2005 Yarmouth graduate. He scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Ellsworth in the 2004 Class B final. That was the second of Hagerty’s 13 state titles with the Clippers. Hagerty’s other title was as coach of the Deering girls in 1995.

Like his players, Morrill embraces the pressure that comes with maintaining the program’s success.

“My senior year, we started to see a little bit of that culture change happening. That was the first (championship) they

’d had in seven years. We more or less kick-started that,” Morrill said. “It’s one of those things, expectations are always going to be high for this program. The big thing is, we’ve got to take it game by game. We can’t look that far in the future because none of that’s guaranteed. Do what we have to do to set ourselves up to get to the postseason and get to that point.

“The kids obviously aren’t immune to it, especially the kids that are seniors, who have been here and been on state championship teams the entire time they’ve been here. I think it’s healthy to want to get that goal, but also understand it’s never going to be guaranteed. They’re going to have to work extremely hard to get to that point.”

As usual, the Clippers will be tested by a strong schedule. Along with games against Cape Elizabeth, York and Fryeburg Academy – their three opponents in the Class B South playoffs last fall – the Clippers will take on traditional rivals Greely and Freeport, as well as Class A contenders Brunswick and Mt. Ararat.

“We’re going to get every team’s best game, and that’s what we want. That’s what the fun part of it is, too. We’re going to great challenges, and that’s going to set us up for the playoffs,” Morrill said.

The Clippers return just two starters, but with 62 players in the program, the team expects to contend again. Monday morning was a time to see who came into preseason ready to go, with the traditional mile run on the track surrounding the pitch.

“They make us wake up early for a reason. It shows the gritty guys. We have to come out, run a lot, then play. It’s tough on the bodies. They do that on purpose,” Jenkins said. “Intensity’s still the same. Energy’s still up. We’re ready for the season.”

Jenkins and Lattanzi acknowledged one big difference between Morrill and Hagerty.

“First, (Morrill) talks a lot less. Hagerty, we’d be running at 7. Today was 6:30. It’s an improvement,” Jenkins said with a laugh. “Honestly, they’re really the same. As a team, we’ve always played that same fast, high-possession (style). That’s kind of our play style. As far as coaching, Justin’s a little quieter, maybe, during the tactics sessions, than Hagerty was. But they’re kind of the same. It’s funny, they’re like brothers.”