The four-year plan to put Dirigo football back on the map is almost complete.

From extinct to club team to cooperative outfit to tailor-made Homecoming opponent to contender to playoff team, the Cougars have made an amazing transformation this decade. And the consensus among Doug Gilbert’s fellow coaches in Western Class C is that his senior-laden crew might be ready to etch the word “champion” at the end of that progression this November.

Just don’t tell him that on a random Tuesday or Wednesday in August.

“I don’t know about that. We do have depth,” Gilbert cautiously conceded, acknowledging 15 returning starters and 13 seniors. “This is ths group I started with. I told them I’d give them all four years and that we’d re-evaluate after that.”

Dirigo rose from 5-4 to 8-1 last fall, suffering only a 13-6 loss to eventual Campbell Conference champion Winthrop. Lisbon knocked out Dirigo in the semifinals, but that might have been everyone’s last chance to corner the Cougars for a year or two.

Nic Crutchfield returns for his third year as Dirigo’s starting quarterback. Tyler Chiasson is poised to replace Josh Palmer in the backfield, and the skill-position trio of Alex Miele, Spencer Ross and Bryan Blackman flaunts breakaway speed and terrific hands.

“Crutchfield can throw the ball, no question. Chiasson has put on 20 pounds of muscle, so watch out,” said Gilbert.

Mason Cote, David Guildford and Brodie Thompson anchor an experienced line.

Many of the same faces are back on defense along with Kyle Hutchinson, Brandon Jonaitis and Arik Fenstermacher.

With the Campbell Conference expanding from 10 to 14 teams and into two divisions (see related story), most of the traditional title contenders are clustered with the Cougars in the north.

Storied rivals Livermore Falls and Jay could stage another one of their familiar late-season collisions with playoff home-field advantage or a dream season on the line.

The Andies return almost all their skill position players, even if most of them are learning a new role. Chandler White has shuffled from halfback to fullback, a move that makes him the successor to recent Livermore Falls greats Brad Bryant, Mark O’Shea and Kyle Stebbins and ensures him a lion’s share of the carries in the Wing-T.

“He played one game there last year when Stebbins was out, and I think he ended up with more than 150 yards against Lisbon,” recalled Livermore Falls coach Brad Bishop.

Jeff Ryder, the surprise MVP of last year’s Livermore Falls-Jay showdown, takes over as a full-time halfback along with Alex Rose. Nate Michaud moves out from under center to a split end position, making room for former halfback Shawn Whiting at QB.

You might need a program to identify the green-and-gold this fall, but the Andies should unleash the same unyielding, potent running attack as ever. Bishop cautions that a mostly new offensive line, led by veterans Dillon Newcomb and Sam Chabot, must develop quickly in order for Livermore Falls to click.

“What we do looks pretty simple, but there’s a lot of line calls and technique stuff those guys have to learn,” Bishop said.

Jay football (and basketball, for that matter) saw a spike in its 2009-10 expectations when senior Austin Clark returned to town. Clark moved away at the end of last football season. His presence as a three-year starter and versatility as a runner and passer give teeth to the Tigers’ spread offense.

“That’s big. Our skill people are good,” Jay coach Mark Bonnevie said. “Our line is just untested, but they’re solid, and they’re coming along.”

Clark has ample options in the backfield, including Jordan DeMillo, Jared Ouellette, Jake Lord and Jordan C. Couture. Senior Tyler Dorr headlines the youthful front five.

The Tigers hope the experience on offense will eliminate the turnovers that plagued overtime losses to Boothbay and Livermore Falls last fall. Those defeats were all that kept Jay out of the playoffs.

And whither Winthrop, the team that steamrolled the conference last year? Well, any immediate resemblance to this year’s crew is purely coincidental. The Ramblers’ offense is literally all-new. Lone returning starter Riley Cobb is likely lost for the season to a knee injury.

“We have a lot of good athletes. We just don’t have any experience,” Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton said. “I’d have to say these people around the state that are picking us are basing it on what we did last year.”

There’s a double dose of good news for Winthrop. Last year’s team was so dominant that the heirs apparent played the second half of most games. And a majority of the new starters are juniors, leading to legitimate wait-’til-next-year thoughts if nothing else.
But the Ramblers should be fine in the here-and-now. Corey Harris and Spencer Smith both reached the end zone last season as running backs. New QB Travis Luce has a senior target in Tyler Arsenault.

Ryan Conant started last year’s state final on defense and anchors the new group at outside linebacker. Corey Staples should be a force at defensive end.

Postseason seems a lock in Lisbon, where the Greyhounds return three-fifths of their offensive line and have plenty of explosive backs and receivers.

That smallish quickness had led to talk of the ‘Hounds unleashing their own version of the spread offense that’s in vogue throughout the state.

“I don’t know. We tried it in a scrimmage a couple years ago against Jay,” cautioned coach Dick Mynahan. “I think we gained about 30 yards in 32 plays, and I said that I never wanted to see it again.”

John Crafts, Joe Doughty and Art Stambach provide experience up front that should allow Lisbon to grind it out the time-honored way, if it needs to.

Luke Caron is the new starter at QB, with Scott Eck, Tobey Harrington and Josh Pomerleau providing the scatback sensibilities behind him. Also in that mix is junior Mike McNamara, who could emerge as the defensive heart-and-soul at linebacker.

Lisbon is a co-favorite with Old Orchard Beach in the younger South division that includes expansion clubs Freeport and Sacopee Valley.

Oak Hill and Maranacook move down from Eastern Class B to the North half of Western C this season, leading most of the charter members christening them contenders.

The Raiders have a new coach in Dave Wing and a wealth of new personnel. Senior quarterback Brett Turcotte holds the keys to what should be a balanced offense.

“Our schedule will give us all we want,” Wing said.

Three of the league’s recent second-tier teams are expected to be stronger this year. Traip and Yarmouth are weighed as playoff contenders in the south. In the north, Madison joins forces with Carrabec for a co-op team with Jay graduate Matt Friedman at the helm.

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Western Class C
Predicted order of finish
North
1. Dirigo
2. Livermore Falls
3. Jay
4. Winthrop
5. Oak Hill
6. Madison/Carrabec
7. Maranacook
South
1. Lisbon
2. Old Orchard Beach
3. Yarmouth
4. Boothbay
5. Traip
6. Freeport
7. Sacopee Valley

Local players to watch
Tyler Chiasson, RB/DB, Dirigo
Austin Clark, QB/DB, Jay
Ryan Conant, LB, Winthrop
Mason Cote, G/LB, Dirigo
Nic Crutchfield, QB/DB, Dirigo
Jordan DeMillo, FB/LB, Jay
Tyler Dorr, OL/DL, Jay
Scott Eck, RB, Lisbon
Ben Foss, WR/DB, Oak Hill
Tobey Harrington, RB/KR, Lisbon
Corey Harris, RB, Winthrop
Mike McNamara, LB, Lisbon
Dillon Newcomb, T/DT, Livermore Falls
Corey Staples, TE/DE, Winthrop
Brett Turcotte, QB/DB, Oak Hill
Chandle White, FB/LB, Livermore Falls
Shawn Whiting, QB/DB, Livermore Falls