The fourth class that some were hoping for never materialized, but Maine high school football nevertheless underwent a major face lift following the 2010 season. And no league has had more nips and tucks than the Pine Tree Conference Class B heading into the 2011 schedule.

Winslow is out, allotted to Class C. Up from Class C is Old Town (which had petitioned down to play in the Little Ten Conference), Rockland and consolidation partner Georges Valley, which have formed Oceanside, and the co-op squad from Madison and Carrabec.

The most immediate impact will come with the additions of Mt. Blue and Brewer for the PTC Class A. Both teams will make the PTC B a deeper league, not just in numbers (from 10 last year to 14), but in terms of competitive balance.

“The league is going to be tough,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said as he ran down the teams he expected to battle for the league’s eight playoff spots. “I like our chances, but these guys are good teams.”

Hathaway’s Hornets head the list of good teams yet again. The two-time defending conference champions have simply reloaded. Quarterback Jordan Hersom will build a Fitzpatrick Trophy candidacy on his arm as well as his legs. The senior rushed for over 1,400 yards and 22 touchdowns last year and threw for another 600 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Hersom should be able to hit the ground running, and throwing, from the first snap, Hathaway said.

“He was hurt last summer so that kind of cut into his preparation for last year,” Hathaway said. “This summer has been like another season for him. He’s been throwing the ball 100 times better than he did last year.”

A healthy Brian Bedard would help the passing game even more. The junior receiver injured his knee early in preseason and should be ready by the second half of the season at the latest, according to Hathaway. In the meantime, the Hornets may utilize senior running back Jake Ouellette in the passing game more. Ouellette rushed for  1,300 yards last year but has shown valuable versatility. If he is split out wide, that could mean more carries for senior Oscar Rodriguez.

Like Rodriguez, the offensive line saw a lot of varsity action last year because Hathaway pulled the starters early in so many blowouts. With personnel such as Jack Griffin and Josh Bunker shifting from tight end to tackle and guard, respectively, Leavitt’s reconstructed line hold promise.

“We’ve probably got a little more size and power than last year but not quite as much athleticism,” Hathaway said. “It’s going to be about whether or not those guys can take it to the next level.”

There’s a healthy amount of competition for spots on the defensive line. Finding down linemen to occupy blockers and keep linebackers Ouellette and Josh Bunker free to make plays will be critical to the defense’s chances of matching last year’s starting unit, which gave up nine touchdowns all season.

“Bunker and Ouellette in the middle of that 52 defense is a strength for us,” Hathaway said. “The front five has to get a push and stop the run and the sophomores we’ll have in the secondary have to step up.”

After narrowly losing to eventual PTC A champion Bangor in last year’s semifinals, Mt. Blue stepped down a class Coach Gary Parlin won’t allow his players to look at it that way.

“Class B has teams that are as good as Class A, but every team is not as good as Class A,” he said.

The Cougars’ ability to make an immediate splash in B isn’t up for debate, even though just four starters return on offense.

All four starters are impact players. Junior quarterback Jordan Whitney finished second in passing yards in PTC A last year and should benefit from a more diversified Cougar Gun that will utilize the tight end more this year. His top target will be senior Cam Sennick, a 6-foot-5 wide receiver with breakaway ability.

The other two starters actually split time in the backfield last year. Izaiha Tracy started the season at tailback and ranked among the league’s rushing leaders before suffering a hip injury. Eric Berry took over and filled in capably in the second half of the season. Parlin expects both seniors to work well together and separately this year.

“Neither of them has been asked to block before,” he said. “They both lifted a lot this summer, and I’d be shocked if they don’t block well for one another. If it doesn’t work out, we still have (Chad) Luker and (Bradley) Jackson to play fullback.”

The blocking up front will be an even bigger key. The offensive line took a hit at graduation, but Parlin is confident the unit from the JV squad that lost only once last year is ready to fill the void.

“They’re inexperienced, but they’re all seniors except Luker,” he said. “They all came to camp in tremendous shape.”

Last year, the front seven was the strength of the defense. That has flipped this year, with a ball-hawking secondary led by Sennick, Tracy, Whitney and Berry being asked to set the tone.

The Cougars aren’t going into their new league completely blind. They have faced Gardiner in youth football, scrimmaged Leavitt the last two years and had a strong rivalry with Waterville before the Purple Panthers dropped down a class. Brewer has an even more extensive history with the conference. It won the PTC and state titles in 2005, then moved up to Class A two years later.

Gardiner emerged from a turbulent off-season still hoping to reach its third straight conference title game. The Tigers had two head coaches step down before Matt Burgess was hired to stabilize the program earlier this summer. Senior tailback Alonzo Connor, who eclipsed the 2,000-yard and rushing and 30-TD marks last year, will challenge Hersom for player of the year honors.

Hampden Academy has most of its core from the 2010 semifinals and an all-star runner of its own in junior Nick Stevens, who was nominated to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl next January.