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When Rockville High principal Dr. Debra Munk called to offer Kevin Bernot his first head football coaching position March 16, Bernot felt a sudden pang of fear. For the Sherwood graduate and five-year Warriors assistant, though, it had little to do with football.

"Over the past five years, I've accumulated so much Sherwood gear; sweatshirts, coaches' T-shirts," said Bernot, 37. "One of the biggest issues has been what to wear in front of the kids."

Wardrobe dilemma aside, Bernot has much to offer the Rams football program. He takes over for former coach Mark Maradei, who filled the opening at Northwest three weeks ago. Maradei led Rockville to a 17-14 record in three seasons, including its first winning season and playoff appearance in a decade.

Meanwhile, Bernot was working under county legend Al Thomas, who earned his record-tying eighth state title with Sherwood last fall. It was Bernot's fourth postseason appearance with the Warriors.

The 1990 Sherwood graduate also co-coached Sherwood's junior varsity team, which outscored its opponents 317-54 en route to a 9-0 record in 2008. Making the trip to Rockville alongside Bernot is county veteran Bob Hampton, Sherwood's defensive coordinator for the last five years, who will fulfill the same role for the Rams.

"I think the fact that I worked with Al played a huge role in Rockville hiring me," Bernot said. "I've been around the system with Al for five years, learning from him, watching how he handles situations with the kids. It'll be in the back of my mind: ‘What would Al do?' He's a great motivator. … And the kids bought into it and won the state championship."

Bernot will put his own spin on that championship system at Rockville, where he will build on a solid foundation. The Rams went 7-3 in 2006 and have finished .500 the past two seasons. They return players at 17 positions this fall, though, including rising junior Crusoe Gongbay, last season's fourth-leading rusher in the county with 1,401 yards.

The ultimate goal for Bernot and Rams athletic director Paul Fahrner is to make Rockville a perennial playoff team. But that does not happen overnight.

Most of the Rams are playing spring sports right now, but as soon as their seasons are over, Bernot expects them in the weight room and studying the new system he will employ come fall.

"Kevin comes from a winning program," Maradei said. "He has the knowledge to do things Rockville has been achieving, essentially since I took over. He brings a lot of new dimensions in terms of understanding what he needs to do to be a winner. It takes a lot of dedication and time commitment, and not just from the person getting the job, but the school community and the administration. … All the supports are in place for him to build on what we've started."

Bernot knows his X's and O's, but that is not the only important part of his job. Building relationships with students, earning their trust and learning how to deal with each individual athlete in order to bring the best out of him, is also critical.

"I'm definitely going to get to know these guys on a personal level, know their families," Bernot said. "I'm going to let them know they can come talk to me and that I'm fully committed to them and the Rockville community. I'm going to show them there's no doubt in my mind we are going to be successful. I know this system. Let's learn to run it. I'm behind the players and will do everything I can for them."