Huddle Up: Will first impressions become lasting ones?

First impressions are important in everything from dating to job interviews.

They are critical in high school football.

It's an eight or nine-week season, folks. There is little time to find your mouthpiece, let alone your rhythm. Start the season with some momentum and confidence and both can grow in a hurry, and the next thing you know, you're 4-0. Start it with some stagnation and uncertainty and both can fester, and the next thing you know, you're 0-4.

Your season certainly isn't finished if you lose your first game, nor have you clinched anything with a win. It's a little more than 10 percent of the season, though, which should not be underestimated.

Week 1 of the 2010 season won't lead us to any conclusions, but a number of teams and players did make strong first impressions.

Let's start with the Twin Cities teams. Lewiston handled Oxford Hills, 21-0. Some might not find the margin of victory to be sufficient, but the Blue Devils simply aren't going to be an offensive juggernaut this year. They will go as far as their defense takes them this year. Head coach Bill County seemed pretty pleased with the shutout. The Devils' devotees should be, too.

Edward Little would have settled for an "unimpressive" shutout. Anyone at Walton Field last Friday night certainly had to be impressed with the Red Eddies, even in a 21-20 defeat to Brunswick. They showed their athleticism in nearly battling all the way back from a 21-6 deficit but, more importantly, they showed cohesiveness and competitiveness. Quarterback Josh Delong showed they'll have a legitimate passing game this year before cramps forced him out of the final five minutes of the game. Running back Teven Colon is as explosive as advertised, and the defense is going to get better with more experience. EL is going to be a factor in the Pine Tree Conference playoff hunt.

Staying in the PTC, Mt. Blue eked out a win over Messalonskee on a Shawn Keach 32-yard field goal with a little over a minute left. Cougar coach Gary Parlin is one of an egregiously low number of Maine high school football coaches who sees the advantage of developing kickers, and that win, which could ultimately mean the difference between the Cougars finishing ahead or behind the Eagles in the final standings, is Exhibit A. The Cougars might win a few more on Keach's leg. If not, then perhaps Cam Sennick's legs will be enough.

Anybody who thought Leavitt was taking a step back after last year's unbeaten run to a state title got some unpleasant news Friday. The Hornets went to Hampden and demolished the Broncos, 34-6 in what might have been the biggest statement game of the week. A lot of prognosticators had Hampden ranked in the top three or four in PTC Class B, and these two teams have never gotten along very well. For the Hornets to so thoroughly dominate shows they have plenty back to make a strong title defense.

Mountain Valley had an equally impressive debut, dismantling my beloved Lake Region Lakers, 45-6. And thus begins the dream of a Leavitt/Mountain Valley Class B final. This is my only wish for 2010. Not just my only wish pertaining to high school football. It's my only wish, period. I'd take it over world peace right now. I'd take it over CC Sabathia and Rex Ryan sharing a snack and simultaneously exploding. Hornets, Falcons, make it so.

Gotta say Livermore Falls has me rethinking my preseason predictions. I didn't know the Andies were that balanced on offense. I knew Winthrop was that balanced, even if coach Joel Stoneton was hesitant to admit it in preseason. The Ramblers won't roll up 64 every week, but they've got the firepower to put up at least half that against a lot of defenses.

The Ramblers are back and so is Lisbon. The score of Saturday's 28-0 win over Oak Hill doesn't begin to tell the story of how much the Greyhounds dominated. Putting Tobey Harrington and Luke Caron behind an experienced interior line really isn't fair. Outside of Yarmouth, it's hard to imagine anyone in the Campbell Conference South challenging them.

Dirigo got an unexpected challenge from Freeport Saturday. The Falcons gained twice as much yardage on the ground (282 yards) as most teams did running and passing against last year's swarming defense. The Cougars still won a game that will rank far from its cleanest efforts this year, and in an eight-game season, teams will take as many ugly wins as they can get.

They weren't all good first impressions last week. Oak Hill needs to get its offensive line in sync and its defense to be more aggressive. Poland needs to conquer an old enemy, fumble-itis. Gray-New Gloucester needs time. Jay just  needs an opponent to show up.

Good or bad, we'll start to find out Friday night whether first impressions are lasting impressions.