LIVERMORE FALLS – Dane Hanson has been running the Wing-T offense at Livermore Falls for three years now and it’s safe to assume that he’s never had a sore arm.

The run-oriented offense relies on so much misdirection, counters and play action that it causes defenders’ heads to spin. Hanson doesn’t get dizzy, though. In fact, he could probably run it in his sleep.

“It’s all second nature basically,” Hanson said. “Not much has changed except some of the people.”

Hanson, a senior, may have been born to run coach Brad Bishop’s offense. He almost certainly was born to play quarterback for the Andies. Older brothers Ian (Class of ’99), Aaron (2000) and Drew (2002) all played the position for Livermore Falls.

“I think it just rubs off,” said Bishop, whose two sons played quarterback. “My two sons had been around it because I’ve been coaching and he’s been around it because of his brothers.”

Hanson plays like a coach’s son, Bishop added.

“He’s going to manage the team. He’s a smart kid. He really doesn’t make any mistakes handling things,” he said.

Bishop, who has been a head coach for 15 years at Morse, Lawrence and Livermore, thinks Hanson may be the best quarterback he’s had as a coach.

One might think that entails making a lot of big throws or tallying impressive passing statistics, but that’s not how the Andies’ grind-it-out offense works. If Hanson doesn’t have to throw a single pass, that’s fine with Bishop because that means their moving the ball on the ground.

The coach just wants his QB to manage the offense and do it with the same quiet confidence.

“Dane’s accepted that,” Bishop said. “Probably in a different situation, he’d have more gaudy stats. But we’ve had three winning seasons in a row and he’s had as much to do with that as anybody.”

“(Having few opportunities to throw) doesn’t really bother me,” Hanson said. “We’re coming out with the win. If it’s working, we might as well keep it on the ground.”.

It’s been working to a (Wing) T. The Andies are undefeated and tied with rival Jay for first place in Western C heading into tonight’s game against Lisbon. A win over the Greyhounds and they’ll probably send their hometown into a tizzy anticipating a battle of the unbeatens when they meet the Tigers in two weeks.

Hanson, while still projecting his quiet confidence, won’t let his team look past Lisbon, or, for that matter, Dirigo/Buckfield, the Andies’ opponent next week. But he understands that he may be in the middle of something special.

“It’s one of the biggest things to come to town,” Hanson said. “It brings the whole town together. We’ve always been looking for an undefeated season and having the whole town supporting us.”