Portland High School has a new head football coach: Nick Cliche, who has been the school’s assistant head football coach for the past two years and has extensive coaching experience prior to that.

“We are happy to announce that Nick Cliche will be the next head football coach at Portland High School,” said Spencer Allen, Portland High’s athletics and co-curricular director. “He has been an integral part of our program's success both on and off the field over the past two years as an assistant coach under Coach Sean Green, and we are confident that he will continue to build on that into the future.”

Green and Cliche led the Portland team to the 2024 Class A title and to a runner-up finish in 2023 in the past two seasons, compiling a 20-3 record. In March, Green announced his decision to step away for another opportunity to further his football coaching career.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be the head coach at PHS and lead such a storied program with a rich tradition in Class A Football,” Cliche said. “Our staff is looking forward to building on the success from Coach Green with the incredible foundation and standards he set. My vision for our program is to continue to be one of the top football programs in the state each year. Our players will be leaders in the classroom, community, and on the field. We believe in culture, discipline, and attention to detail while modeling leadership on and off the field.”

Allen said Portland will have nine returning football coaches on staff for the 2025-2026 school year.

Cliche has extensive coaching experience. He has coached football for more than 14 years, including nine years at the high school level. Prior to coaching the Bulldogs, he was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Cape Elizabeth for four seasons, when they won the 1st Class C State Championship in school history in 2021 and compiled a 24-8 record. Cliche was named the Class C Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021. In addition, he was an offensive coordinator while spending three seasons at Deering High School from 2015-2017. Cliche also spent five years at the middle school level with Portland Youth Football as a head coach.

Cliche was a football player and captain at St. Johnsbury Academy in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. He holds a degree in sports management from Thomas College. He currently works as community services director for the town of Scarborough, after working for the Portland Parks and Recreation Department for 18 years.

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with nearly 6,500 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 59 languages. Approximately 47 percent of the district’s students are white and 53 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.