Maine high school football coaches would shell out top dollar for real-life examples of practice drudgery and weight room dedication paying off.

Mt. Blue High School coach Gary Parlin doesn’t have to open his wallet or search very far.

Parlin probably can attribute at least some of the Cougars’ marked defensive improvement the last two years to the efforts of his best-known motivational speaker.

Jordan Stevens has been a fixture at the team’s summer camp in recent years.

The recent University of Maine defensive captain spent his spring at the Detroit Lions’ free-agent rookie camp and then his summer with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, where he was one of the final cuts.

“He made it through (almost) to the very end,“ Parlin said. “He emailed me at the end and said guys were coming in on a daily basis from NFL camps. You would think you were solid at your position, and then they would bring three other outside linebackers in.”

Stevens is accustomed to being an underdog. He was an accomplished, if not spectacular, two-way starter for the Cougars before graduating in 2004.

“We tell the kids now, he was a very good high school player, but nobody ever thought he was going to be a I-AA player. He made that happen,” Parlin said. “We had some Division II coaches that wouldn’t give him the time of day. Then he went to prep school (at Bridgton Academy).”

Parlin’s former pupil asked the coach if he could address the team last summer before his senior season at Maine.

The coach recalled a player who rarely spoke unless spoken to as a high school student, now carrying on passionately about the benefits of putting in the work that spectators and even teammates rarely notice.

“Jordan Stevens when he was in high school was absolutely a man of few words. He didn’t say boo,” Parlin said. “He talked to them afterward, and he said, ‘When you play, don’t worry about what the score is. Only worry about your next drill, your next play, your next assignment.’ That’s how he played. That’s why he was successful.”

Mt. Blue’s defense enjoyed a shutout streak of eight quarters prior to last week’s 27-6 loss to Lawrence. The Cougars get another stern test Friday at No. 1 Bangor.

The I’s have it

When Oxford Hills switched to the ‘I’ formation this season, the Vikings needed someone to dot the I.

Right now, the Vikings are enjoying a little success playing connect-the-dots.

Senior Chris Priest opened the season as the Vikings’ starting tailback, topping 100 yards in a loss against Lewiston.

As the Vikings approached the halfway point of the season, coach Nate Danforth reevaluated his personnel and moved Priest to fullback. That opened the door to Kyle Ayotte and Ryan Creney at I-back.

“There’s a tailback controversy going on right now,” Danforth half-joked. “We’ve got two juniors and one of them is going to get the job. Creney is just a smash mouth guy, and Ayotte’s got a little bit of speed.”

Ayotte’s quickness gave Oxford Hills a spark in the first half last Saturday against Mt. Ararat. His threat opened the door for long touchdowns by Andy Ripley (66-yard reception) and Dan Taylor (18-yard run).

Then Danforth handed the ball to his closer, in essence. Creney churned out 14 carries for 72 yards after the break and kept the clock moving as the Vikings ended an eight-game losing skid with a 14-8 triumph.

Priest shared time at fullback with senior Zack Moore and sophomore Jordan Croteau for the Vikings, who are starting to demonstrate some depth after a run of lean years.