Graduating eight seniors, six of them starters, from a regional championship football team isn’t necessarily reason to call for a rebuilding season.

But when you throw in (or out, as the case may be) 15 more players lost for the season due to academic ineligibility, as 2003 Western Class C champion Lisbon has had to do, defending the crown isn’t a given, either.

“We got burned by eligibility a little bit, some kids that we expected back that we’re not going to have back this year,” Mynahan said. “That’s going to affect our depth somewhat.”

The Campbell Conference may be the most competitive it’s been in years. But don’t expect the rest of the league to weep for Mynahan and the Greyhounds, even though they return just four starters, including two seniors. Rival coaches cited Lisbon among the favorites again this year.

One reason no one will take the defending champions lightly is the four starters they bring back. Quarterback Chris Kates returns as the team’s leader and top offensive threat, running and throwing the ball.

“This year, if we’re successful at all, it will be because of Chris. He’s a great leader,” Mynahan said.

Kates’ top target will be junior Levi Ervin, an all-conference receiver last year who will be moving to running back.

Opening running lanes for Kates and Ervin will be two of the top offensive linemen in Class C, Jacob Sprinkle and Elijah Trefts. The key for the Greyhounds will be whether they find suitable replacements for the three linemen they graduated.

Defensively, Mynahan said his team will need to become more of a swarming defense rather than funneling plays to their linebackers for the tackle.

“We’re not going to be as physical, but we’re probably going to be faster in spots and we’re probably going to change our defense a little bit,” he said.

Count on the Greyhounds getting physical when they need to, particularly against last year’s runner-up, Boothbay. The Seahawks bring back just five starters and, like the Greyhounds, have a number of holes to fill up front. But their double-wing running attack will still punish opponents with the bruising D.J. Holcomb, who scored 16 touchdowns last year. Holcomb, an all-conference end, also leads the defense.

With nine starters back each, rivals Jay and Livermore Falls may be poised to replace Lisbon and Boothbay at the top of the standings. Jay boasts the league’s most potent passing attack, led by three-year starting QB Justin Wells. As a junior, Wells completed 59 percent of his passeslast year while throwing for 1,192 yards, 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions but lost a couple of his favorite targets, all-conference receivers Marc Kelvey and Austin Ouellette.

“We don’t have four targets like last year, but it’s coming along pretty good,” said Jay coach Mark Bonnevie, whose team was knocked out by Boothbay in last year’s playoff semifinals. “The kids are working real hard at getting their timing down and we’re working on getting four guys to throw to.”

Running back Joel Ouellette and wide receiver Ryan DiPompo return as two of Wells’ familiar targets. Andrew Deering could be the big receiver they need to replace Kelvey.

Linebacker Ryan Bourassa, the Tigers’ second-leading tackler last year, leads an athletic defense with four returnees.

“We’ve got a lot of speed on defense and hopefully we can put them in positions where they’re going to be able to fly around and make plays,” Bonnevie said.

Like Jay, Livermore Falls hopes to take at least one more step after being eliminated from the conference semifinals by Lisbon. All-conference fullback Brad Bryant, the Campbell’s top rusher last season, leads the way, though coach Brad Bishop hopes to lighten his workload in the Andies’ wing-T offense with the addition of Scarborough transfer Ryan Webster and sophomore halfback Mark O’Shea.

“Last year, with injuries, we had freshmen and sophomores in the backfield with (Bryant). Hopefully, that experience pays off this year,” Bishop said. “We’ve got some pretty good weapons back there right now. Brad is our feature back, no doubt, but we’re going to distribute the ball to other guys, too.”

The Andies’ 4-4 defense should be improved, led by all-conference tackle Tom Durrell.

“I feel we have a good nucleus of kids with, more than anything, great attitudes,” Bishop said.

Old Orchard Beach could be one of the most improved teams in the conference, and not just because the Seagulls return 16 starters. QB Mike Perrone and Bobby Seavey, an all-conference fullback last year, anchor the offense.

Improvement is the buzzword for Buckfield-Dirigo, which is coming off a surprising 3-5 inaugural season, though new coach Al Cayer admits the Cougars may have to take a step back in the standings to move their fledgling program forward.

“If we can match last year’s record, that would be great, but it’s going to be tough,” said Cayer, the team’s defensive coordinator last year.

Cayer hopes to exploit the talents of QB Jamie Henderson, a big, athletic sophomore, in his wing-T offense. Finding a replacement for leading rusher Scott Wetherell would help, too, as would getting the offensive line to jell, particularly if returning senior tackle Randy Hall (broken foot) misses significant time.

Most of the Cougars’ experience in Cayer’s 4-4 defense returns to the secondary.

“Linebacking and secondary are our strengths,” Cayer said.

Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton expects to have the same strengths on his young defense, which could be the key to turning around the program.

Stoneton, the third coach in as many seasons, hopes to bring stability to the Ramblers and he has some talent to commence rebuilding. A number of players who were thrown into the first last year due to injuries and other problems that decimated the roster are back, including quarterback Travis Frautten and tailback Tavis Hasenfus.

“We’ve got the program up to 39 kids and we’re really happy with those numbers,” said Stoneton, a seven-year assistant at Winthrop. “Obviously a lot of these young guys have seen varsity football already.”

Madison and Traip’s numbers are down this year. Traip does have the majority of its starters returning and hopes to put an end to its 28-game losing streak. Cape Elizabeth’s numbers are up, but the Capers lost all-conference running back Elliot Cohen to graduation.