Eastern Class B football may have a new look (three new teams), a new name (Pine Tree Conference) and a new schedule, but Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway insists nothing has changed when it comes to the league’s powerhouses.

“Belfast and Winslow: Put those two up above everybody else,” Hathaway said.

Belfast and Winslow. Winslow and Belfast. It’s usually one or the other at the top of the standings, and the two schools have combined to win nine of the last 11 Eastern B titles.

But Hathaway thinks the list of teams chasing them is pretty impressive in its own right, and he believes whoever ends up winning the conference will have been battle tested.

“I think it’s going to be a real good conference,” he said. “You’re looking at six or seven teams that are pretty quality programs. There’s Winslow and Belfast, then us and Morse and Brewer and Oak Hill. Even though Hampden has been a little down, you know they’re going to be up again.”

Defending Eastern Maine champion Belfast lost Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist Jeff Parenteau, but the Lions are still in good hands with senior QB Nick Arthers, whom Hathaway calls “the best player in the league.”

“And their running backs may not be as physical as in the past, but they may have more speed than before,” Hathaway added.

Winslow returns from a rare playoff absence with 14 returning starters. Senior QB Josh Lapointe directs the offense.

Fullback Derek Runnels figures to get more carries after splitting them with Ricky Vigue the last two years.

Leavitt also returns 14 starters who helped propel the Hornets to the Eastern Maine final last year.

Eight of those are back on the defensive side. Kyle Davis, Tyler Poland and Chad Schrepper anchor a group that hopes to pick up where it left off last season as one of the most rapidly-improving defenses in Class B.

“We should be pretty solid on that side of the ball,” Hathaway said. “We have a lot of confidence on defense.”

It will take more time to develop that confidence on offense, Hathaway noted.

Dustin Gilbert takes over at QB after spending the last three years playing varsity golf.

Junior tackle Ryan Staples and senior guard Marcus Reny are returning starters charged with protecting Gilbert while he gets his feet wet.

Hathaway hopes Gilbert will be able to give him the balanced offense he strives for, because the running game should be solid with Schrepper, Poland and Davis carrying the load.

The Hornets appear poised to make the playoffs for the second time in as many years in Eastern Maine, but Hathaway does have one concern — injuries. He’s already lost his biggest lineman, 275-pound tackle Mark Austin, for at least half the season with a broken ankle.

“We’re not as deep as last year,” he said. “Last year, we probably played 25 guys, but we’re not that deep.”

Leavitt would need five Austins to match the size Brewer flaunts on its offensive line. The Witches are big, but inexperienced, with just two returning starters.

The roster is senior-laden though, so the rest of the league should count the Witches out at its own risk.

Morse, another playoff team from 2002, was similarly hard hit by graduation.

The Shipbuilders should still have the good offensive balance that served them so well a year ago with QB Mason Loveitt back at the helm.

While Morse and Leavitt will have to adjust to a new league, Oak Hill faces two questions — How will the Raiders adjust to a new league, and how will they handle the step up from Class C to B?

“I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult,” said coach Bruce Nicholas, who led the Raiders to back-to-back playoff appearances in their last two years in Western C. “As we get into the first week and start preparing, I think the move up to B won’t be that much different than what we were going up against in C.”

The Raiders probably would have had an inside track to the playoffs in their inaugural year had they not lost 14 starters who were the heart of both their offense and defense.

Offensively, Nicholas expects to go to the I-formation more this season than in years past.

The plan is to exploit the talents of his all-senior backfield. Adam Labbe, one of the top receivers in Class C last year, will be on the other end of the passing combinations this year when he’s not handing off the ball to tailback Kyle Harrington or fullback Tony Poulin. Both backs figure to be factors in the passing game along with wing-back Troy Jannelle and tight end Josh Allred.

Much of the Raiders’ success may hinge on a rebuilt offensive line, which returns only one starter in Ryan Gallagher. They’ll look to set the physical tone much like their predecessors did the last two years.

Defensively, Oak Hill will be led at safety by Labbe, a ball hawk who has picked off 17 passes the last two years.

With Harrington at cornerback, the Raiders should have half the field well covered. Teams likely will test their front seven, which is very inexperienced.

The Raiders have a number of holes to fill, but those holes are being filled by players who enjoyed tremendous success at the junior varsity and freshman levels the last two or three years.

“It’s kind of like a couple of years ago. Back then, we hoped to beat the teams we should beat, maybe one or two we shouldn’t, and then sneak into the playoffs that way,” Nicholas said. “When our kids have a cause and have to step it up, we step it up.”

As Hathaway noted, Hampden should be back on the way up after back-to-back two-win seasons, and this may be the year the Broncos make their move. Trainor Kaplan and John Higgins will lead the option attack behind a big, experienced offensive line.

Old Town and Mount Desert Island will have the two youngest teams in the league. Old Town has just two seniors back from a squad that was winless in 2002, while MDI will compete with 23 freshmen on the 40-man roster.