The schedule-makers can’t predict who the best teams will be. But maybe we shouldn’t complain that what looks like a must-see matchup on paper comes in the first week of the season.

There’s a reason the saying goes: “The anticipation is killing me.”

Football fans in Lisbon and the neighboring communities of Winthrop and Monmouth get instant gratification as the calendar is barely done flipping over to September. Expectations are as high as ever for their respective teams, and what could be the biggest test of the season for each feels more like a pop quiz.

The Greyhounds think the Ramblers are the team to beat. The Ramblers think that the Greyhounds are the team to beat. It’s worth noting that both teams think three-time regional (and state) champ Oak Hill is still a favorite, but Raiders coach Stacen Doucette picked the other two as the heirs to the Class D South throne — not that he’s ready to give it up.

Whether the Greyhounds or Ramblers ascend to the top of the region could in part be determined Saturday when the two teams face off at Thompson Field in Lisbon Falls. The driver’s seat is for the taking if Oak Hill shows any inkling of a drop-off from the past three years.

It’s worth mentioning that Lisbon won this matchup on the road to open last season, 28-24. The teams ended up finishing the season one game apart in the standings.

A calendar year hasn’t faded the memory of that loss for Ramblers coach Dave St. Hilaire.

“Turnovers and penalties hurt us last year. We had four fumbles and lost by a touchdown,” St. Hilaire said. “We can’t be on the wrong side of the turnover battle.”

If the Greyhounds have their way, there will only be a few chances in which to turn the ball over. Their nickname is one that is always fitting for head coach Dick Mynahan’s offenses. They run.

Lisbon will be able to score from any point in the field with electric quarterback Tyler Halls, but when the ball is handed off the Greyhounds can pound the ball and “eat up the clock,” as St. Hilaire put it.

With time at a premium, ball security becomes even more paramount. St. Hilaire knows that four turnovers is a bad recipe for success.

That means Ramblers senior starting quarterback Matt Ingram will have to be smart with his throws. He is now in his third year as the signal caller, and he will have to stay calm, cool and collected against an always tough and aggressive Lisbon defense.

But the Ramblers will also have to run the ball effectively to keep that defense honest. Multiple more-than-capable runners should give them a chance to do just that.

Mynahan will be expecting Ingram to be at his best. The Ramblers QB is one of the reasons why the longtime Lisbon coach thinks that Winthrop/Monmouth is the team to beat in D South this year. That, and their large roster full of experience.

The Ramblers have one of the bigger rosters in the smallest class, with roughly 50 players in uniform. Lisbon doesn’t have that number, but the Greyhounds also bring back nearly all of their top players.

Experience, exceptional ability and expectations. They all add up to Lisbon and Winthrop/Monmouth being easy favorites to win Class D South.

It just won’t be easy for either team to win their first game.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com

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