Coach: Jim Hersom (second year)

Class: Western C

Last year’s record: 1-7

Returning letter-winners: Seniors — Tyler Hicks (G/LB); Juniors — Carson Hodsdon (QB/DB), Adam Dumas (FB/LB), Nate Hennemann (T/DT), Jared Sullivan (G/DE); Sophomore — Zach Haskell (QB/HB/S)

Key losses: Josh Greenleaf (RB/DB), Cam Quintal (G/LB), Aaron Chapman (TE/LB), Pat Dumas (G/DE).

Promising newcomers: Seniors — Justin McKenna (WR/DB), Sam Johnson (RB/LB), Brandon Thibeault (RB/LB), Colby Graffius (G/LB); Sophomore — Jacob Baggs (LB).

Season outlook: Prior to his second go-round as the Patriots’ coach, Hersom went on a recruiting trip. Don’t worry, it was all completely legal. Hersom scoured the hallways, playing fields and courts at Gray-NG and persuaded some of the best senior athletes in the school to give football another try after a few years away. Their size and strength will ensure playing time and should pay immediate dividends for the Patriots. With only four freshmen on the roster, that influx from the upper grades was necessary to keep the player count at a competitive 34. Gray-NG also has a solid returning running back in Dumas and two quarterbacks, Hodsdon and Haskell, who performed well in 2012. The Patriots will lean on Dumas, Johnson and Thibeault to fill the void left by Greenleaf, who pounded out multiple 100-yard games as a senior. Reclassification didn’t make Gray-NG’s schedule any easier, with recent state champions Leavitt and Yarmouth joining holdovers Wells, Mountain Valley and Spruce Mountain. Hersom continues to think long-term, focusing on the “little things” that will grow the program.

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