The last time the Pine Tree Conference welcomed two new teams into the fold, it only took two years for the newcomers to make a major impact in the tradition-rich league.

Edward Little and Lewiston battled for league supremacy last year in just their second season in the PTC. Whether Mt. Ararat and Windham, the latest programs brought into the loop, will be able to make their presence felt so quickly remains to be seen.

It’s been a long climb back into contention for Gardiner since it won back-to-back PTC titles in 1997-98. The Tigers are the favorites to top the South division with 16 returning starters from last year’s playoff team.

Gardiner’s defense may be the most feared in the league heading into the season. Only Lewiston placed more players on the league’s all-conference squad last year, and the Tigers have three of their five all-stars back – linebacker Brandon Sirois and defensive backs Seth Antognoni and Kris Ramsay.

Linebacker Nate Munzing will probably join them in all-league status at the end of this year. Munzing was an all-conference pick last year at fullback, and he’ll join tailback Joe Merrill to comprise what may be the best set of running backs in the conference.

Many would argue that Lewiston had the most consistent defense in the league from start to finish last year. Though their returning nucleus isn’t quite as well-decorated as Gardiner’s, the Blue Devils should still be tough. The group will be green in certain spots, but coach Bill County likes the experience he has along the line and at linebacker. With tackles Steve Poussard and Nick Lajoie and middle linebacker Steve Cobb, a 2002 all-conference selection, the Devils will be anything but soft up the middle.

“We’re big,” said coach Bill County. “I like what I’ve got up front.”

Defensive ends Bill Brooks and Phil Chaput and linebacker Brandon LeClair should solidify the outside. The key will be finding some reliable defensive backs.

The offense, much like the defense, should be more solid up front and on the inside than at the speed positions. Lajoie, Poussard at tackle and Tim Ouellette at center are the returning starters. Bruising fullback George Foisy showed promise as a power runner in the latter part of last season and should get more work this year with tailback James Spaulding and LeClair out of the option, with senior QB Dustin Carrier distributing the ball.

“I think we’re going to present some problems on the defensive side,” County said. “Hopefully that can keep us in enough games early on for the offense to mature.”

Oxford Hills will be counting on some key components of its offense to mature quickly, also. Sophomore Jim Bower could be a force in his first full year as the starting tailback. The Vikings also have last year’s starter, Tyler Slack, and fullback Kass Eells, a tough inside runner, available to run the ball. The rest of the offense is in the hands of senior QB Tim Cote, who has the team’s two leading receivers from last year, John Tifft and Rob McVety, with whom to work. But coach Paul Bickford said that the Vikes are committed to returning to their smashmouth heritage.

“We threw the ball more than we wanted to last year,” he said, “and we do have the luxury of having Tifft and McVety back. But we want to get back to grinding it out on offense and playing hard-nosed on defense.”

That defense has six starters back, with Eells and Tim Cole the bookends on the defensive line. Tifft and Brad Flanders anchor the secondary.

Defending conference champion Edward Little, minus eight starters on each side of the ball, hopes to follow the same formula that got it to the state title game last year – stingy defense, opportunistic offense, and, most of all, improving every week.

The offense should be a bit ahead of where it was to start last season with Matt Bennett back at quarterback and Chris LeClair returning at running back. Bennett made great strides last year and by the end of the season was a big-play threat through the air. LeClair’s impact also increased as the year went on. He will be one of the toughest runners in the conference.

In front of them will be a rebuilt offensive line and a new set of receivers. Speedy Will Claxton, the hero of last year’s PTC title game and Bennett’s favorite deep threat, decided to skip football this year to concentrate of track. Sure-handed Brent Miller, Kenny Poulin and Nick Taylor will pick up the slack.

Only LeClair, Matt Nadeau, Chris Lemieux and Jon Paul remain from last year’s swarming defense. The Red Eddies also lost defensive coordinator Mike Lance. Even though most of the personnel has changed, head coach Jim Hersom isn’t going to demand less from his defenders, who are expected to stay disciplined and get to the football the quickest way possible.

“We’re experimenting with a lot of kids,” he said. “Again, we stress quickness up front. We’re not going to be real physical, but hopefully we’re going to be able to run to the ball well and have a great desire to hit.”

Not many defenders will have a great desire to hit Phil Warren, the 6-3, 240-pound fullback that Brunswick will be counting on to lead it to the playoffs. Warren will be the stalwart on both sides of what is still a young but improving team.

Mt. Ararat has good depth at the skill positions and a proven quarterback in Chris Doherty, who passed for nearly 1,000 yards in the Eagles’ option offense.

Windham begins the first of its two-year stint in the PTC South with a quick defense and a pass-oriented offense led by QB Peter Cekutis.

The teams in the PTC North took their lumps from some of the teams that now make up the South in last year’s playoffs. They could turn the tables this year, at least in part.

“I think we’re in the tougher of the two divisions,” said Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin.

Parlin’s Cougars will be in the thick of the division race this year with 11 starters and 20 seniors back. They should have one of their more balanced teams in some time, with six starters back on defense and five on offense.

The defense should survive the graduation of Fitzpatrick Trophy semi-finalist Ron DiGravio at outside linebacker. Virtually the entire defensive line, with the exception of one defensive tackle, remains intact. Nose guard Andrew Beaulieu and strong safety Nate Bolduc were all-conference picks in 2002, while defensive linemen Derek Taber and Jake Hardy are coming off strong seasons. The backfield is inexperienced but has one of the team’s most pleasant surprises in Will Plancon and should be bolstered by the expected return of David DiGravio in mid-season from a broken leg.

Senior Garrett Lake returns at quarterback after impressing in five starts as a junior. Wide receivers Beaulieu and speedy Peter Tinguely join tight end Hardy as his main targets. Senior running back Lance Meader rushed for 512 yards last year in part-time duty and will get plenty of help from junior Jordan Stevens. All-conference tackle Cal Miller and two-year starters Garrett Strout and Jake Richards anchor a strong line.

Skowhegan enjoyed an undefeated regular season in 2002 and should be one of the top contenders again with 1,000-yard fullback Jared Walker back. Bangor is converting one of the top receivers in the conference last year, Mike Prentiss, into a tailback to lead its ground-control offense.

Waterville and Lawrence figure to be two of the most improved teams in the conference. The Purple Panthers boast one of the best big-play threats in the state in running back Matt Hilton, while the Bulldogs will grind out yardage with the tandem of Ryan Ackley and Nate Lambert carrying the rock.

Cony relied on Nkolo Nyada for most of its offensive success last year, but with him gone, the Rams will look to three seniors, Troy Pierce, Joe Jones and Ricky Brown, to split the carries. Messalonskee hopes to begin a new era with new head coach Wes Littlefield and a solid ground attack led by junior tailback Chris Duffy.

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