PORTLAND, Conn. -- Jim Stotler walked through the door of Portland High School to students chanting his name.

For the past year, the history teacher and boys soccer coach has been serving in a Iraq as a Navy reservist.

He said his last function at the school before he left was last year's fall pep rally, so his surprise return Friday was special.

“It's incredible,” he said. “I knew it would be kind of emotional. I left, actually, during the pep rally last year, so to come back during the pep rally was an emotional experience. It's great to be back.”

Stotler is a Navy intelligence officer. He said he spent 10 months in Basra. Returning to Connecticut Friday, he said he hopes to use his service as an example when he gets back in the classroom.

“I look forward to being able to bring that perspective that this is something real going on and something that's important and something that affects their lives,” said Stotler.

The boys’ soccer team has just one game left this season. If the team wins, it’ll be in the state tournament, and for the first time in a year, Stotler will be on the sidelines.

“It's definitely going to help,” said Cory Tobler, a member of the soccer team. “It's going to pump us up, and we hope to get the win for him and go to state's, which is what we hoped to do.”

“(It’s) a big motivator for the season, we've definitely been working harder than we did in the past,” said team member Jamey Ruitto.