One of the rewards of coaching football is seeing a rebuilt unit gel and become a force. So Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan must be taking a lot of pleasure in seeing his offensive line emerge in last week’s 34-14 pummeling of Boothbay.

“We had one guy returning from last year and we thought that was going to be a real stumbling block for us coming into this season,” Mynahan said. “We’re working hard every day in practice and that offensive line is getting better and better. Barring injuries, we’re going to be good before it’s all over, I think.”

They looked good last Saturday, paving the way for 297 yards rushing.

Quarterback Nate Blackwell had a big day running behind Joe Doughty, Art Stambach, Tyler Gowrys, John Crafts and Dan Schofield, churning up 207 yards and four first-half touchdown on the ground.

“They’re coming together great,” Blackwell said. “They’re kind of young. We’ve got a couple of seniors out there. From Week 1, it’s a huge improvement. The holes and the lanes that we’re running through are just opening right up and making it a lot easier for the backs.

Doughty, a junior, is the only returning starter on a line that is fairly big by typical Lisbon standards, averaging 200 pounds per man.

“We’re helping each other out with blocks. We’re talking to each other. We’re actually pushing each other along and we’re just becoming one solid unit,” said Gawrys, one of the two seniors on the line.

Wes is more

Wesley Myers rushing stats at this time last year dwarf the impressive numbers he’s put up so far this season (344 yards, five TDs), but the Lewiston senior captain is proving he’s not about the numbers.

“I think the intangibles are so much better. He’s so much more mature as an athlete. He really has taken the captain thing seriously,” Lewiston coach Bill County said. “He knows that people are keying on him. He’s been unselfish. At the end of every game, coaches talk to me about his sportsmanship and how impressed they were.”

Myers’ yardage has come in smaller chunks than last year, when he rushed for over 1,500 yards. But that should change as the inexperienced offensive line blocking for him gets more playing time.

“Running the ball, he doesn’t have that mature offensive line to run behind last year, but we’re getting there as the year goes on, and pretty soon, we’re not going to be young anymore,” County said. “We got one of our linemen back for the first time, Kris Gagne (last week against Cony). He’s an excellent lineman and I think it made a difference for us up front. “