It would be quite a formidable trick but one the St. Dom’s boys’ soccer team has pulled off before.

The Saints enter the soccer season having lost 12 seniors from last year’s club. That seems like a daunting task, but just two years ago Lee Hixon’s bunch graduated 14 seniors from a state championship team. The Saints still reached the regional final the following year.

“The team knows that we are young and that is actually firing them up,” said Hixon. “Because of the number of seniors that graduated, there isn’t the knowledge of what this year’s St. Dom’s team is made up of. We have some young players with great skill, speed and dedication.”

The Saints had a rocky season last year. With a talented club in the chase for a regional title, an eligibility violation caused some forfeits and had the Saints battling from the back of the Western C standings. St. Dom’s subsequently lost in the quarterfinals in a heartbreaker to NYA.

The only players back from that club are seniors Josh Hixon, Ryan Guerin, Dylan Nadeau and Narcisse Agounke.

“This group of young men is developing into a fine team,” said Hixon.

“We expect to play with intensity and poise and win some quality games.”

The Saints’ top competition in the WMC will likely come from their rivals from NYA. The Panthers graduated seven starters but should still have enough back to keep them in the chase. Traip lost its two top scorers and are a young squad built around juniors and sophomores.

In Class A, Greely, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough should give the top SMAA teams a battle in Western A.

The Class B field should be deep in the West. Falmouth should continue to be a force, despite its loss of Bradford Hobson, Chris Davis, Danny Forcella and Jimmy Velas – all All-State players. Gorham and Yarmouth should also contend while York might be a strong club with eight starters back.

Gray-New Gloucester, Fryeburg and Poland all struggled last year and hope to improve their standing. The Raiders (3-10-1) have nine seniors back.

“Coming off a disappointing season, we hope to make a stronger showing this year with a number of returning seniors to lead us,” said Fryeburg coach Bob Logan.

The Patriots (3-9-2) have a new coach and a strong senior contingent that hopes to produce a playoff berth.

“There’s some experience there,” said G-NG coach John Moody. “The program has had some issues. So I think they’re ready to start something new.”

Poland (4-8-2) is trying to overcome graduation losses and players leaving to play football. The Knights still have veteran goalie Max Levine and midfielders Brendan Blake and Mario Giampetruzzi to lead the cause. Despite heavy losses, new coach J.P. Yorkey has liked what he’s seen.

“They’re much better than I anticipated,” said Yorkey, who stepped in at the last minute to take the coaching job. “I’m pleasantly surprised.”