TURNER — It was an odd feeling for Matt Pellerin.

The 6-foot, 260-pound Leavitt lineman is used to being the strongest guy in the room. He can bench 350, squat 520, deadlift 495 and power clean 225 pounds five times. But when he competed in a meet at his gym last spring, he was reminded that he was still just a boy.

“It was fun, but it was tough because they didn’t have any age classes,” Pellerin said. “So I went up against all the big guys.”

On the gridiron, Pellerin is usually the man amongst boys. Regarded as one of the best two-way linemen in the state, the senior is a terror in the middle of the Leavitt defense and one of the cornerstones charged with paving the way for the Hornets’ myriad of talented ball-carriers and protecting quarterback Eric Theiss.

High school football coaches always tell aspiring players that the path to playing under the lights is paved with hours and hours of sweat and strain in the weight room. As Pellerin’s lifting achievements indicate, he has followed that advice.

Leavitt football coach Mike Hathaway compares Pellerin’s weight room work ethic with that of great Leavitt linemen who preceded him such as Ryane Staples and Jon Pirruccello, who went on to enjoy collegiate success at Colgate and Maine, respectively.

“He’s spent a lot of time in there. Every day since last season ended he’s been in there doing something,” Hathaway said. “He’s also worked hard on his cardio, which I think is a big part for him being able to play both ways pretty much the whole game. He doesn’t come out a heck of a lot.”

“Ever since the end of my freshman year, I’ve been going to the weight room steady, five times a week. It helps so much,” Pellerin said. “The cardio has helped out a lot this year. I came out here every day in the summer and just ran and did wind sprints. I got faster from last year and gained weight, so that was a bonus.”

Pellerin combines his power with a quick first step and the knowledge of three years spent in the varsity trenches. Being a complete player comes in handy as a nose tackle, which in Leavitt’s defense means he is responsible for both ‘A’ gaps, the gaps between the center and both guards. That requires him to read the center and two guards before and during the snap to keep the middle of the line from breaking.

“At the snap of the ball, not only is he strong and quick off the ball, but his reaction time on those reads are very, very good, probably as good as anyone we’ve had,” Hathaway said.

So good, in fact, that Pellerin often occupies two or more blockers, perfect for the Hornets’ defensive scheme that is designed to keep those blockers occupied at the line so that the linebackers can step up and make tackles.

“We’ve pretty much stopped teaching him how to defeat one-on-one blocks at this point because it’s now what he sees,” Hathaway said. “He sees at least a double-team every time. Sometimes they’ll even chip him with a back when they’re coming through the hole.”

Opening holes is what Pellerin and the Hornets’ talented and veteran line do best. Along with Mitch Cobb, Luke Wiley, Max Cloutier, Mat Porter, James Morin and Buck Bochtler, Pellerin, who has played center and right tackle, gives them a physical presence up front that some opponents might not expect lining up against Leavitt’s spread offense.

“We like to be physical,” he said. “We like to spread the field, so when we run it up the middle on them, that’s when it’s fun, when you get to go one-on-one with someone.”

Pellerin has drawn interest from Division II and III schools such as Husson, Plymouth State and Bates. Hathaway believes D-I suitors may be scared off by Pellerin’s height, “but I think he could play there,” Hathaway said. “I’d recruit him if I was there.”

Leavitt Area High School’s Matt Pellerin is regarded as one of the best two-way linemen in the state.