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LIVERMORE FALLS — Dylan Jewett doesn’t yell, and hardly raises his voice. He lets his play do the talking.

In that way, the junior quarterback has had a boisterous 2025 season. In nine games, Jewett has accounted for 31 touchdowns (21 rushing, 10 passing). He’s rushed for 1,031 yards and has passed for 932. As if that wasn’t enough, he leads the team in interceptions (5) and has also been used as a kick and punt returner.

The Phoenix (8-1) will need Jewett to be in top form again on Saturday, when they play Camden Hills (9-1) in the eight-man football Large School state championship game at Edward Little High School in Auburn (11 a.m. kickoff). It’s the first state final appearance for the program since Jay and Livermore Falls combined to form Spruce Mountain High School in 2011.

“We’re looking pretty good,” Jewett said. “We’ve been pretty dialed in on offense and defense. I think we’ve been playing pretty good the last few weeks, and we’re ready to go.”

Spruce Mountain went 0-7 in 2023 but has since made a quick turnaround, going 15-2 in Devin Roberts’ two seasons as head coach. Jewett, who took over at quarterback last season, has been one of the driving forces for the team’s success.

“Dylan’s speed is nearly unmatched,” Roberts said. “It’s kind of deceiving, because he has such long strides. But when he takes off, there’s probably not many on the field who are going to catch him. We tell him, ‘Hey, if you see a (running) lane, take it. No one is going to catch you.’ It’s taken him a year and a half to realize that he is the quickest, fastest and potentially the best athlete on the field, at all times. Once he realized that this season, he’s gone. He just takes it and goes. That confidence is huge for him.”

Jewett showed off his big-play ability in the eight-man Large School South final last week, running for three scores, including the go-ahead touchdown with 5:07 remaining in the Phoenix’s 20-14 win over Mt. Ararat. He also had a 70-yard TD run called back in the first quarter.

While Jewett has always excelled at running the ball, he’s taken his passing to the next level this year.

“He went to a passing camp (over the summer),” Roberts said. “We got into preseason and Dylan looked twice as good as he did last year throwing the ball. He’s accurate, he’s smart (with his decisions). He’s just a really smart and good athlete.”

That’s made Jewett and Spruce’s offense even more dangerous.

“We’re pretty well-balanced,” Jewett said. “We can throw the ball well and run the ball. A lot of my rushing yards came off of pass plays, when I scramble.”

That might be a little understated. Let his teammates try:

“He can turn nothing into something,” said junior Owen Kelvey, who has 623 yards rushing and 172 yards receiving. “It might be a broken play. The next thing you know, he’s 50 yards down the field. He’s just an athlete. It’s crazy.”

“He’s not a guy who talks a lot, but what he does brings everyone up,” added senior Austin Armandi, who has 687 rushing yards and 123 receiving yards. “You can hear him shout to us (at times), showing us what he can do, and that you can do it, too.”

It’ll take another big game from Jewett, and his teammates, in Saturday’s game against the Windjammers, who shut out over Waterville (47-0) and Mount Desert Island (35-0) in its two playoff games.

“They have a good running back and quarterback, and they have a good defense, too,” Jewett said.

No matter what happens against Camden Hills, the turnaround of the Spruce Mountain program from winless to contender is complete. And the Phoenix return a large portion of their team next year, including their quiet but impactful leader.

“It’s exciting to see what more he’s going to bring to the table,” Roberts said. “He’s going to mature that much more. He’s going to get that much smarter, that much bigger, that much faster. It’s exciting to see what else we can do with him, and what else he’s going to do for us and this team.”