LISBON FALLS – Note to opposing offensive coordinators who have game-planned for Lisbon’s defense this year – if you were trying to frustrate Elijah Trefts, you’ve succeeded.

If your ultimate goal, however, was to neutralize Trefts and, by extension, the Greyhounds’ defense, most of you have failed.

“I don’t get too many runs to my side. I get kind of mad because I don’t get to make too many tackles,” said Trefts, a junior linebacker/nose guard. “That’s fine. If they don’t want to run at me, they can run at the rest of the defense, and they hit just as hard.”

Maybe they hit just as hard, but one couldn’t blame the Campbell Conference’s offensive masterminds if they tried to steer their kids clear of the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Trefts.

“What’s sets him apart is he’s strong,” said Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan. “He’s pretty quick to the ball. Defensively, you watch him and he makes some terrific plays against a lot of double-teams.”

Trefts draws a lot off attention on both sides of the ball, and from college recruiters, too, who have been inquiring about him since last year, when he was just a sophomore and a two-way starter for the Campbell Conference champions.

Now, he’s one of the most intimidating two-way players in Class C. The down side to that is that he doesn’t get to lay as many licks on opposing ball-carriers as he’d like.

The up side is, given Trefts’ versatility, opposing offenses almost have to be mind-readers to know where he is going to line up from play to play and whether he’s going to be responsible for a particular gap or a particular player. It also allows the 4-1 Greyhounds to disguise some of their defenses.

“It gives us a chance to try a lot of different things, and Elijah catches on almost immediately so we can do these things week by week,” Mynahan said. “A lot of times when we’re playing a four (four-man front), it’s really a five except Elijah is playing the nose tackle and linebacker at the same time.”

Of course, that means Trefts has many more responsibilities than your typical junior. He rarely takes a play off on Saturday’s, which is remarkable considering he’s been playing in 70-plus degree temperatures in Lisbon’s black uniforms for much of the year.

“I’ve got to do two-hours of pretty much straight football,” he said. “I had to work on endurance during the summer, but I’m used to it now.”

He also had to get used to a new offensive position, moving from guard to tackle on Lisbon’s rebuilt offensive line.

“Unfortunately for Elijah, we’ve taken him out of his better position to put him in a better position for his team,” Mynahan said. “He might be a better guard, but he needs to play tackle for us, the way our offense works.”

As the only returning starter on the line, Trefts knows better than anyone else how that offense works.

He has had to help with bringing his new linemates up to speed on varsity football, but after playing on a senior-laden line last year, he’s enjoying playing with his contemporaries this fall.

“Elijah’s great at stepping up and helping some of these young guys,” Mynahan said. “He’s only a junior, but he’s playing like a senior and he’s acting like a senior.”