So many names, colors and details are new in Western Class C football.
One thing we can always count on: Lisbon contending for the Campbell Conference title.
Yarmouth stuck its new face into the picture in a big way last year, using a last-second field goal to deny the Greyhounds during the regular season and engineering a second-half comeback to pocket the playoff rematch.
That budding rivalry should continue this season. What Lisbon lacks in size and experience it counters with depth and the grit that has characterized its program for decades.
“We played a lot of young kids last year, so they’re not totally new. They’re just learning the system,” Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan said.
If a roster will be helpful when trying to keep track of the Greyhounds’ cadre of new backs and linemen, some sort of cheat sheet is essential if you’re handicapping the ever-changing league roster.
Gone are Jay, Livermore Falls and Madison and multiple generations worth of tradition. Jay and Livermore Falls are now merged as Class B Spruce Mountain. Because of its on-field partnership with Carrabec, Madison also was forced to move up a class.
Moving in: Poland, which along with 2009 Class C state champion Dirigo outfitted its field with lights; Winslow, a multi-time Class B champion derailed in recent seasons by declining enrollment; and Telstar, moving up from the club level to play its first varsity season in more than 30 years.
“We scrimmaged (Spruce Mountain), and for the first time we shared everything,” Mynahan said. “Now we can help each other because there’s no chance we’ll see each other again.”
Lisbon will encounter Yarmouth and Traip, their two likely challengers in a southern division that still features most of the new and struggling programs in Western C.
TB/LB Zach Splude, WR/CB Cam Graf and G/NG Chase Hunter are the only returning senior starters for the Greyhounds.
Junior QB Ryan Riordan and sophomore TB Jordan Torres were pressed into action due to injury and ineligibility late last season and had impressive debuts.
“We’re probably as quick in the backfield as we’ve been in a long time,” Mynahan said. “If we can create a little room and find some space, we could hit some big plays.”
Farther north, Dirigo has joined the Friday Night Lights movement and is entering the new era with a new coach. Dave Crutchfield has replaced Doug Gilbert after five years as an assistant and isn’t downplaying the excitement of the new wattage at Harlow Park.
“It gives the kids another buzz,” said Crutchfield, a defensive coordinator under Gilbert who is relinquishing those duties to take over the offensive play-calling this year. “I thought the lights were a three-year goal, and it just all came together all of a sudden thanks to a great effort from the community, our players and the booster club.”
Crutchfield hopes a more balanced offense will amp up the excitement for Dirigo fans. Ben Holmes returns for his second varsity season at quarterback. Crutchfield said he hasn’t changed the playbook, so he expects the senior signal-caller to set the tone.
“Ben is stepping up as a leader,” Crutchfield said. “His maturity and comfort zone have excelled big time in the last year.”
The running game will be bolstered by the return of speedy tailback Bryan Blackman, who missed much of last year with an Achilles injury, and tough senior fullback Jake Dowland. The development of a young offensive line is key.
Defensively, the Cougars are led by Dowland, one of the top linebackers in the conference.
Oak Hill reached the Western C quarterfinals in 2009 and the semifinals in 2010. It might seem like a team with only four seniors on the roster wouldn’t be talking about taking the next step, but coach Dave Wing has a large junior class with plenty of varsity experience already under its belt. Much of that talent and experience is on the offensive line that paved the way for Josh Allen to rush for over 1,300 yards last year.
“The strength of our team will probably be the offensive and defensive lines,” Wing said.
Allen is gone, but the Raiders will still be able to grind down opponents from the Wing-T with senior Cody DePuy and junior Joel Wells toting the rock. Wing is hoping to give opposing defenses more to worry about than the run, though. Sophomore QB Parker Asselin steps in as the full-time starter after getting some starts as a freshman.
“He showed some great leadership under some tough conditions last year. For a freshman he did a real good job, and we think he’s ready to step up and thrive in that leadership role this year,” Wing said.
The last time the experts had Winthrop in rebuilding mode, it was the year after they won their last Western C title. The 2009 Ramblers ended up reaching the regional semifinals, a feat duplicated by last year’s team. But coach Joel Stoneton acknowledges that any Class C team that graduates 14 seniors is, in some ways, starting over.
“It’s not just losing a load of talent. For us, it’s losing all that experience,” Stoneton said.
For 2011, the Ramblers will be building from the line of scrimmage out. Most of their experience is up front, with Tyler Reeve, Chris Bowers and Robin Cook back from last year’s balanced squad. That trio will be the backbone of a fast, swarming defense that will have to keep Winthrop in games while its young skill position players get their varsity feet wet.
“The defense is very strong for us,” Stoneton said. “We’ve got some new schemes that will hopefully work for us and take advantage of our speed.”
That speed translates to the backfield, as well, with junior Dany Moody and sophomore Zach Glazier looking to pick up where Ryan Conant and Derek Pamphrey left off. Sophomores Jared Hanson and Austin Proctor figure in the quarterback mix.
Poland’s previous progress in Class B — two late-season wins and a hard-fought loss against highly regarded Wells — are only part of the positive vibe around the Knights’ camp.
The new lights are a factor. So is first-year coach Ted Tibbetts. And a long-suffering triple option offense continues to gain steam after a summer camp that included coaching from the staff of the U.S. Naval Academy.
“We have some speed and we have a commitment to doing it right,” Tibbetts said.
QB Tony Whalen and FB Tyler Sturtevant return for the Knights. Christian Hanscom will make an impact at slot back, a position where Brandon Drottar, a transfer from Arizona, also has been a huge find.
The offensive line is young. Senior Jake Rivard and junior Nelson Goyette anchor the group after starting their career at the so-called skill positions.
“Our kids are tired of being a two-win team,” Tibbetts said. “They want to be 9-0, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get there.”
Telstar knows a little bit about what it takes to go undefeated. The Rebels were perfect in an eight-game run at the conclusion of their final JV campaign.
This year’s competition is decidedly stronger. The Rebels move into the northern half with Dirigo, Oak Hill, Maranacook and Winthrop.
Nine seniors should help ease that transition. Kenny Haas and Devin Vail provide big bodies up front. Drew Wilson is a tall target at receiver.
Two juniors headline the backfield. Dominic Haines takes over for T.J. O’Connor, a four-year starter at QB. Nick Mills, a 215-pound tank who played soccer his first two years, returns to football and should shine at tailback and defensive end.
“Everybody wants to ask, ‘How are you going to do?’ I’m not going to come into a new league and predict five or six wins and that we’re going to make the playoffs,” coach Tim O’Connor said. “We know we’re playing some good teams.”
Other than Lisbon, all the local teams avoid defending state champion Yarmouth during the regular season. Led by QB Brady Neujahr, TB Anders Overhaug and linemen Carter Dorsett, Jon Held and Ben Weinrich, the Clippers are considered the favorite once again.
koakes@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
