FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue Cougars have happily welcomed Jordan Stevens back to the gridiron on two occasions.

The first time was late last season, when Stevens returned to his starting linebacker spot after missing four games with a broken hand.

“Going into the playoffs, it was like trading for Randy Johnson or something,” Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin said.

Parlin knew he’s have Stevens back again for this, his senior season, but that was one of the few givens about his team heading into the year since Stevens was the only returning starter from last year’s PTC semifinalist.

The Cougars’ coaching staff went into the preseason a bit apprehensive with so many new faces to coach. Ironically, it was Stevens and fellow co-captains David DiGravio, Rob Blake and Chad Merrill, who assured the coaches that this would not be a rebuilding year.

“We really doubted as coaches how many games we could win, especially early,” Parlin said. “Those guys believed from day one. They made believers out of their coaches. Usually, it’s the other way around.”

They’ve made believers out of Mt. Blue fans after a 3-1 start that is surprising to everyone but Stevens and his teammates.

“We might be surprising some other people but all of the guys around here know what we’re expected to do every year,” Stevens said. “We’re expected to win.”

Expectations could have overwhelmed someone in Stevens’ position. Not only was he his team’s only returning starter, he was hailed by his coach as one of the top five players in the PTC.

“There wasn’t really any more pressure on me because I knew that we had other guys who could fill the roles of the guys we had last year. We had a lot of guys that had played a lot of varsity,” Stevens said. ” I definitely had to step up as a leader.”

“What is you see with him is what you get. He’s very serious and he’s quiet,” Parlin said. “When he does speak, he gets everyone’s full attention.”

Stevens’ play and leadership are attention-worthy, but he isn’t one to hog the spotlight. While he’s talented and durable enough to be a workhorse running back, he shares that load with DiGravio and Hazen Pingree. The trio has transformed a team notorious for throwing the ball into one of the best running teams in the PTC.

Stevens, DiGravio and Pingree have all taken their turn leading the Cougars in carries through their first four games, but Parlin believes Stevens is the key to the running game’s success.

“They all bring different things to that table. He’s the key because he gets us the tough yards,” he said. “He’s tireless, and people don’t realize how big he is (6-foot-2, 210 pounds). We always used to call him lanky and he was sort of a slasher, but this kid has put hours in the weight room.”

Stevens’ newfound strength has helped the defense to flex its muscle this season.

Last week, the Cougars held the leading rusher in the PTC, Chris Duffy, to just 16 yards on 11 carries, and they have yielded a league-low 16 points through four games.

“It’s because of the preparation that we do to get ready for teams, and we just go out there hustling and flying to the ball,” Stevens said.

The senior running back and linebacker is often doing the most hustling and flying to the ball. When Parlin watches film of his defense, he usually knows where to find him – near the bottom of the pile.