RUMFORD – A wall, whether it consists of brick and mortar, concrete or a mass of men, is at its strongest in the center. So where could the wall that is the Mountain Valley defense be more impervious but in the middle, where senior tackles Thaddeus Bennett and Kyle Dow line up?

The lone defensive holdovers from the Falcons’ 2004 state championship team, Bennett and Dow are the backbone of a unit that has allowed 20 points all season and has posted seven shutouts heading into this Saturday’s Western Class B championship game against Cape Elizabeth (12:30 p.m., Hosmer Field). As those two go, so go the Falcons, according to head coach Jim Aylward.

“There’s no question the success we’ve had has been directly proportional to the fact that we’ve had those two kids up front the last three years,” he said.

In the Falcons’ defensive system, the tackles are expected to fill gaps, keep blockers occupied and allow the linebackers to move freely to the ball. For the last three years, Bennett and Dow have been doing that as well as any tackles in Mountain Valley history. This year, though, they’ve been so dominant, they’re putting up numbers that are normally reserved for the linebackers playing behind them. Bennett has 64 tackles and nine sacks, and Dow has 35 tackles and four sacks.

“And that’s playing mostly half games,” Aylward said.

Physically, the duo is a load for guards and centers to handle. Bennett is 5-foot-11, 223 pounds, while Dow is 6-2 and tips the scales at a solid 288.

Both are capable of overpowering blockers, but are also quick on their feet. Opponents who expect them to bull rush at every snap are in for a surprise.

“In defensive drills, they’ll work technique harder than anybody. As much as they can blow people away, they’ll work technique,” defensive coordinator Steve LaPointe said.

Bennett has become the most feared pass rusher in Western B in large part because of the hard work he’s put into improving his mechanics.

“I’ve just been getting better on my technique over the last four years,” he said. “It’s about quickness, too. That’s the key right there.”

Another key is the amount of pressure Dow takes off of Bennett, and vice versa. It’s impossible to double-team both of them at the same time and not leave an end or a linebacker unblocked.

Both feed off of each other’s big plays, too.

“You get a good hit on the quarterback or something, it gets the other defensive players fired up, especially Dow,” Bennett said.

“I play at a higher intensity when I’ve got him next to me,” Dow said. “We freak each other out.”

Opponents have been freaked out by the sight of Dow lining up in the offensive backfield a couple of times per game. Before the season started, he lobbied Aylward to play fullback full time, but the coach decided it would be better to save him for short-yardage and goal-line situations.

“Kyle would love to think he’s a fullback. He thinks I’ve held back his football career,” Aylward joked.

“I love it. The more chances I get to run people over the better,” said Dow, who has run people over at the goal line for three touchdowns.

Bennett and Dow may take a little fiendish pleasure in inflicting some physical pain on the opposition, but this year a lot of that derives from their own pain from losing last year’s regional championship to York, which still gnaws at them.

Both confess that winning the state championship two years ago has made them want another one even more.

“I’m not going to be satisfied if I don’t get another one this year. It’s just going to ruin the entire offseason,” Dow said. “I need it.”