TURNER – Ryane Staples and his fellow Leavitt linemen live by one credo.

“If the line wins our game, the team wins their game,” Staples said.

One of the top two-way starters in Class B, Staples has won his share of games for the Hornets over the years. But now, the four-year starter, the last three on each side of the football, is being asked to do even more to help make Leavitt a contender in the Pine Tree Conference.

Staples figured he’d be taking on added weight in the Hornets’ defense this year, so he dropped a little of his own, going from 275 last year down to about 235 this fall.

“It’s definitely made me a lot faster. In the spring I was like a 5.2, 5.3 (in the 40) and coming in here (before the season) I ran a 4.9,” he said.

Staples had to sacrifice some strength for speed. Last year, he was benching 365 pounds. Now, he’s benching 345.

“That hurts your confidence a little bit, but I’m quicker, faster and more explosive. I think it’s a good tradeoff because it’s not like I got weak all of a sudden,” he said.

A slimmed-down Staples has allowed Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway more flexibility on defense. He’s used Staples in the middle of the line, his normal position the last two years, and at middle linebacker, his new position.

“He’s always been, even as a younger kid, one of our smarter linemen,” Hathaway said. “Now, physically he can get up and down the line of scrimmage a little bit better than he could before. We know if we put him in the middle he can chase them down to either side. They can’t run away from him.”

“To ask him to do both of those in one game is a pretty difficult task for him,” he added, “but he’s handled it quite well.”

Despite playing his whole high school career in a three-point stance, Staples said the adjustment to linebacker hasn’t been that difficult.

“I like the reads. You can see everything developing.,” he said. “You’ve got a key to read but you can see everything else that’s happening around you and you can fly to the ball. As a defensive lineman, you’re trying to get to the backfield.”

Whether his on the line or behind it, Staples knows how to get to the ball-carrier. He finished second in the PTC in tackles last year and is right back near the top again this year.

“He doesn’t forget about his technique,” Hathaway said. “He’s real sound, especially as a defensive lineman. He’s got quick feet and he’s pretty good with his hands.”

As a guard on offense, Staples anchors a veteran line that is paving the way for one of the PTC’s top running tandems in Broc Hardacker and Tony Witham.

That unit churned out nearly 300 rushing yards last week against defending Class B champion Belfast. The Hornets dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half but lost the game, 28-26.

“That was probably the toughest loss we could have all season. But the one thing it did do, it gave us confidence,” Staples said. “If we can play with Belfast and all their speed, we’re doing something right. That gives us momentum going into the next week and the next week, because what we want to do is peak at the end of the year.”