ORONO – He was the tall, poised kid who stood behind an indomitable line that had a wide array of running backs, and whose passes kept the opposing defenders honest.

After a season of headlines about his runners’ exploits and the defense’s dominance, Stearns quarterback Adam Greenlaw received the Class C LTC Player of the Year award, as voted by the league’s coaches at the LTC’s awards banquet at the Black Bear Inn Sunday.

“It’s more like a team award because there are so many people on the team who we wouldn’t be able to do without,” Greenlaw said. “I’d rather have the gold ball, like we do, than the personal accolades but it’s a great feeling.”

It’s been quite a year for the Minutemen who marched through the season undefeated and averaged 34.7 points per game before marching to the Class C state title.

But it was a season in which both Greenlaws had prepared for a lifetime.

“I remember him standing on the sidelines holding headphones for me when he was four,” Art Greenlaw said, smiling fondly at the memory of his son’s first exposures to the game.

The senior quarterback completed 77 of 170 attempts for 1,004 yards and 13 touchdowns in the Minutemen’s option offense. Greenlaw also rushed for 345 yards on 55 carries and one touchdown.

Greenlaw also was honored as the conference’s first team quarterback and the All-Academic team.

Greenlaw beat out a finalist field which included Andy Hedrick of Rockland, Dexter’s Brad Sherwood, Ray Burke of Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield, David Gross of Bucksport, Mattanawcook’s Josh Ryder and Steve Smith of Foxcroft.

Dexter’s second-year coach Harold “Haggie” Pratt carried home the Coach of the Year and school sportsmanship awards, bringing home yet another victory for the Tigers’ football program.

“This will please them back in Dexter and show them we’re heading in the right direction,” Pratt said of the awards. “I don’t want to sound cliche, you’ve got to give those kids a lot of credit.

“They were overachievers and they made somebody like me look good,” Pratt said.

The Tigers improved vastly from the 1994 record of 3-6, with a playoff appearance and a 6-4 record this year.

At Class B’s banquet Sunday night, Belfast came out on top as coach Butch Arthers and back Eddie King wrapped up the Coach and Player of the Year awards.

The senior halfback went the distance for the Eastern Maine champs, racking up 1,568 yards and 20 touchdowns, and went on a 423-yard, 57-carry tear through the playoffs.

“If we had had a losing season, this wouldn’t have meant anything,” King said. “But because we were winning and we went to the state game, this really means a lot.”

King won the award from a field populated by Messalonskee’s Nick Bragg, Issac Whitaker of Winslow, Mike Seymour of Hampden, Matt Clark of Mount Desert Island, Eric Duffey of Brewer, Orono’s Jason Myers, and Old Town’s Matt DeGrasse.

Rejuvenated may be the only word for the Lions since Arthers’ arrival four years ago. The 1995 Eastern Maine Class B champions ran up a 9-2 record this year, far from Arthers’ 2-7 team from the 1992 season.

“We made a commitment to ourselves and the kids. It’s been one of those situations where you ask the kids to set goals and they come through.”