Three games into the 2000 campaign, Waterville’s Frank Knight found himself in the kind of situation a coach dreads.

“Looking back, it was a half-empty, half-full situation,” Knight admits now.

Now.

But back then, it was far different: He lost his starting quarterback and safety, Chris Hart, for the season just before halftime of the opener.

He lost top back Jake Johansmeier midway through the third game.

Johansmeier – despite playing in less than three whole games – finished his senior season with 388 rushing yards and ranked eighth in the league in that category.

The losses were costly. No doubt about it. That’s the half-empty part of the equation.

Here’s the half-full side: The people who ended up filling in last season are both back. And the experience they each gained is expected to pay dividends for the Purple Panthers this year.

“I think we’re promising,” Knight said. “I can see us in the upper middle of the pack, I hope. I don’t think we’re one of the top two teams, but I think we can be one of the next four.”

Knight figures Cony of Augusta and Bangor are the teams to beat in the PTC.

But two reasons for his optimism are quarterback Ryan Lockard, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound junior, and halfback Cody DeGuzman, a 5-8, 185-pound senior.

They’re the players who inherited starring roles after the injuries. Both learned under fire last season, as Waterville limped to a 3-5 record.

DeGuzman is a speedster who has run a 4.75 40-yard dash. Lockard is nearly as fast.

DeGuzman will also anchor the defense at strong safety: He was Waterville’s top tackler as a junior.

“We have to find a way to get him in the middle of the field, because people run away from him,” Knight said.

Last year’s tribulations should serve as a motivator, both for Knight and the Panthers.

“That was my first losing season in 11 years,” Knight said. “That was a little tough to swallow, and I think the players are eager to not have that happen again.”

Other key players for the Panthers will be senior fullback Jeff Boutin, who started last season, and brothers Josh and Nate Hart.

Josh is a 5-8, 185-pound senior, while Nate is a 6-0, 210-pound junior. They’ll each start at offensive guard. Nate is a defensive standout at linebacker.

Dan Knights will be expected to help anchor the offensive line at center.

On defense, DeGuzman and Nate Hart will need some help: Knight said many of the players on the unit will have to prove what they’re capable of when games start.

“There are no names, to speak of,” Knight said. “It’s kind of a vanilla defense, really.”

WATERVILLE PURPLE PANTHERS

2000 results: 3-5, 7th in PTC

Head coach: Frank Knight , 12th year

Key players: Ryan Lockard, QB, Jr.; Cody DeGuzman, HB-SS, Sr.; Jeff Boutin, FB, Sr.; Dan Knights, C, Sr.; Josh Hart, OG, Sr.; Nate Hart, OG-LB, Jr.

Outlook: Knight became the de facto dean of Pine Tree Conference coaches after the retirement of Bangor’s Gabby Price, and he’d like nothing more than to erase the memories of his first losing season at Waterville. The Panthers will grind it out behind Boutin, but Lockard and DeGuzman are both speedy threats. Waterville won’t change much, attacking out of its typically successful wing-T offensive set and trying to shut down ground-dominated PTC foes.