The Leavitt Hornets have some long road trips ahead of them in this, their second year in the Pine Tree Conference.

The Hornets will be spending a lot of time on the bus, with journeys to Hampden, Brewer, Old Town and Mount Desert Island on tap this fall. But given that the balance of their nine-game schedule is on the road and that they have a tough home schedule that includes defending state champion Belfast and defending conference champion Winslow, Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway hopes his team can make those long trips seem a little bit shorter by picking up some crucial victories.

“It’s probably going to take six wins to get in and probably seven if you want to host one (playoff game), and that’s what we’re looking for,” Hathaway said. “We’d like to go 3-2 on the road. If we can do that, we’ll feel pretty good.”

Practically anyone who comes out of what should be a very competitive Eastern Class B field with a playoff berth should feel pretty good. Seven of the league’s nine teams have their sights legitimately set on the four post-season slots.

The only team that can etch its name into the playoff brackets in ink is the reigning Class B champion, Belfast. With 10 returning starters, including two of the top playmakers in Class B, Josh Aldus, who ran for 1,023 yards and 17 TDs last year, and speedy Garren Horne, the Lions are the odds-on favorite to return to the state final.

Winslow looked like the team to beat for much of last season until Belfast knocked them out in the Eastern B final. The Black Raiders return just two starters from that team, but running back Ryan Lindie, who was among PTC leaders in yards per carry last year, is among them.

Oak Hill also has a lot of new faces at the skill positions. Former wing back Gabe Fontaine takes over at quarterback for four-year starter David Chase, and while he’s more of a runner than Chase was, coach Bruce Nicholas still plans to have the 5-9, 160 pound junior work out of the Raiders’ familiar shotgun formation.

Fontaine should get plenty of protection from a big and experienced offensive line led by Robie Leavitt, Steve Wood, Mike Houde and Zach Harvey. The line, which averages 240 pounds, will pave the way for speedy backs Troy Jannelle, Wally Rines and Keith Daniels, a junior transfer from Cony.

“Our line is probably ahead of schedule and our backfield is probably behind schedule because we’ve got so many young guys back there and a lot of them are learning new positions, Nicholas said. .

The defense, which will be anchored by Jannelle at linebacker and Leavitt and Wood at defensive end, will be tested early against Belfast.

Leavitt brings back four starters on each side of the ball, including two-way starters Ryane Staples, Jon Pirruccello and Broc Hardacker. Staples, an all-conference selection last year, is one of the top two-way interior players in Class B at guard and nose tackle or linebacker, depending on whether the Hornets are using a four or five-man front. He finished second in the PTC in tackles last year. Pirruccello, a 215-pound tackle/defensive end, runs the second fastest 40 time on the team.

The offense boasts a veteran line, led by Staples, Pirruccello, guard Kurt Knight and center Mike Austin. Slot back Broc Hardacker is a big-play threat and has plenty of speed to complement him with Corey Witham, Chris Brewer and Matt Worcester around. Senior Matt Cote moves in at quarterback and is the kind of double-threat that Hathaway likes to have calling the signals in his spread offense.

“He’s got a good arm and he’s mobile, Hathaway said. He’ll throw the ball, he’ll run the option. He’s going to be a pretty big part of what we do offensively.”

Brewer, Hampden Academy and Morse should also figure into the playoff chase this season. Old Town and MDI will probably be relegated to spoiler roles.