Graduation losses were abundant around the KVAC. Nobody knows that better than Edward Little boys’ soccer coach Dave Morin.

His Red Eddies lost 11 seniors and nine starters, leaving his team in a rebuilding stage this season. While many of the other KVAC squads lost nearly as many, some have enough talent back to stay near the top.

The defending state champions from Mt. Ararat lost eight seniors, but have ample talent back, led by All-State midfielder Kyle LeDuc. Brunswick went 12-2-2 and lost to the Eagles in the Eastern A final. The Dragons lost eight seniors, but return All-State midfielders Justin Gauvin and Jesse Kaplan and three-year starter Brian Lemont in goal.

Lewiston lost nine seniors from a team that went 6-5-4 last year and lost in the Eastern A preliminary. The Blue Devils return some veteran players that should keep the team among the better squads in the KVAC. Nate Farnsworth was an All-Conference midfielder. Dave LaBonte, Muhamed Mohamed, Alain Prevost, Tony Travaglini and Adam Wilding are all returning starters.

“There is an excellent nucleus of players with good senior leadership skills,” said Lewiston coach Mike McGraw. “Scoring and success are all intertwined with good defense and team chemistry. If all the ingredients are there, a team can really go places.”

Other teams are also trying to remain competitive despite heavy graduation losses. Messalonskee, Cony, Waterville and Lawrence were all playoff squads that lost key personnel. The Purple Panthers lost 11 while Lawrence graduated eight seniors, including three All-State players. Mt. Blue lost nine starters. Only Joel French, Zach Frechette and Tyler Schoen return as starters.

“It’s going to depend a lot on how hard we go every game,” said Mt. Blue coach Joel Smith. “The KVAC is pretty difficult. Every game is a playoff-type atmosphere. A lot will depend on how ready we are for that.”

For EL, only midfielder Brian Erickson and goaltender B.J. Levasseur return to the starting lineup.

Both Leavitt and Oxford Hills hope to make significant improvement this season. The Hornets return 11 players, including nine seniors.

“The seniors on this team are determined to make this a turning point year,” said Leavitt coach Isaiah Davis. “They’ve been preparing for this season since last fall.”

Oxford Hills returns eight seniors and are shooting for another playoff berth.

“This year our goal is to make the playoffs and win our first playoff game,” said Oxford Hills coach Chris Record. “We will have to work very hard in practice and during games to make this happen.”

In the KVAC Class B field, teams like Mt. View, Erskine, Winslow and Camden all graduated 10 or more players.

Maranacook, which lost in the Western B final should be a contender once again. Camden, Erskine and Winslow will try to rebuild playoff teams.

Oak Hill lost six seniors and hopes to build around a solid midfield and front line. Jeremy Levesque, John Daggett, Nic Daggett, Mike Eaton and Nate McDonald lead the Raiders returnees.