There are worse situations than to be the coach of a two-time defending state championship team returning one of the top running backs in the league and three-fifths of the starting offensive line.

Mike Siviski’s Winslow Black Raiders are once again one of the top contenders for the LTC Class B crown as well as a gold ball. They will have a few hurdles to overcome along the way, not the least of which is the fact the players may as well wear jerseys with bullseyes on them as teams try to knock the reigning champions from their lofty perch.

Another, more tangible hurdle is the loss of 12 players due to academic ineligibility – a carryover from the spring grading period – for the first two weeks of the season.

“We lost some good seniors in the skill positions to graduation and a few of the 12 we won’t have for a couple weeks are potential starters, so it’s hard to say right now what kind of team we’ll be,” Siviski said.

It’s likely peer coaches won’t be able to muster much sympathy for Siviski, who is well-known for downgrading his team’s chances in preseason. When you factor in Winslow’s success along with the fact the overall team size has gone from 42 to 50 players this year, it’s easy to see why there might not be much, if any, sympathy.

And having lost only 14 regular-season games the last 11 years and not having missed the playoffs since 1990, there’s more reason not to be sympathetic.

Even as Siviski points out the loss of some overall team speed, it seems Winslow might be well-suited to make up for that as well with fairly good team size.

The running Raiders should do just that as 1,000-yard rusher Ricky Vigue is back behind an athletic and experienced offensive line. The senior tailback and co-captain scored 13 of his 15 touchdowns rushing last season.

Back to block for Vigue are tight end Ben McPherson; left guard Shawn Poulin, who slimmed down from 210 pounds to 190 to be more explosive off the line; right tackle Chris Desrosiers (5-foot-10, 230 pounds), and senior right guard and co-captain Andy Mette, who’s also starting at linebacker this year.

Vying to fill the last two spots in the line are left tackle Justin Shorey (6-3, 240) and center candidates Nick Souviney and Kenny Browning, both juniors.

Another race developing during preseason is at quarterback, where junior Josh LaPointe and sophomore Ryan Lindie are vying.

Senior Bobby Hendrick is Siviski’s jack-of-all-trades as he’s pencilled in at cornerback and wingback, and he may also see time spelling Vigue at tailback.

The Raiders are heavy with juniors this year. After having 15 juniors and seniors total last year, they have six seniors and 30 juniors this year.

Despite his veteran line, Siviski expects his defense to be farther along early in the season.

“What’s going to be the key for us is defense early on because our offense will need a little time,” Siviski said. “And we need the defense to carry us a little while we wait to get those other guys back.”

WINSLOW BLACK RAIDERS

2001 results: 12-0, Class B state champions

Head coach: Mike Siviski, 17th year

Key players: Ricky Vigue, TB-CB-LB, Sr.; Chris Desrosiers, OT-DT, Jr.; Nick Souviney, C, Jr.; Andy Mette, RG-LB, Sr.; Derek Runnells, FB-DE, Jr.; Jake Welch, TE-SE-DE, Jr.; Marty McCaslin, FB-DE, Jr.; Dan Bibeau, TE-LB, Sr.; Derek Rancourt, OLB, Jr.; Bobby Hendrick, WB-TB-CB, Sr.

Outlook: The Black Raiders are well-positiioned for a rare “three-peat” with a stable full of juniors and senior leadership in key spots. The Raiders will have to weather loss of 12 players early on (vs. Stearns and Foxcroft Academy) before they get to full power, just in time to start the Class B portion of their schedule.