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BREWER – After consecutive 7-3 seasons that landed the Brewer Witches in the Eastern Maine Class B playoffs, a third straight trip to postseason play will require significant contributions from new sources.
Of the 54 players in preseason camp, only two were returning starters from last year’s team, and they have been moved to different positions.
Yet there is optimism. Many reserves from last year’s playoff team now get the chance to contribute in starting roles, along with a corps of underclassmen who played on a junior varsity team that lost just one game in 2002.
And there’s a new head coach in Ed Ortego, a former Air Force fighter pilot who has served as the Witches’ defensive coordinator since 1995.
“The expectations based on what we’ve done here in the recent past are pretty high,” he said. “We want to try to keep that tradition going.”
Brewer will play the same base defenses it did a year ago, ranging from four-man fronts to six-man fronts, depending on the situation.
Offensively, the Witches will make a significant shift, from the wing-T to an option attack designed to capitalize on the team’s athleticism.
“We’ve got more speed than we’ve ever had, and we want to take advantage of that with a quick-hitting option game and a play-action passing game,” said Ortego. “We want to stretch defenses with a horizontal option game and a vertical play-action passing game.”
That offense will be guided by a pair of senior quarterbacks, Courtney Rancourt and Danny Fox, whose twin brother Chris also plays for the Witches.
“Our quarterbacks are playmakers,” Ortego said. “They have slightly different skills, but they’ve shown in practice good playmaking skills.”
Brewer will try to combine improved speed at the skill positions – including Chris Noyes at fullback and former All-Maine soccer player Andy Frost at wingback – with considerable size along the line of scrimmage. The offensive line will feature tackles weighing 303 and 235 pounds, guards weighing 334 and 272, and 240-pound center Ryan Elliott.
“There definitely are changes this year,” said Elliott, one of the team’s captains. “We’ve been working to pick them up and we’re definitely going to do that. This team has really worked well together; we’re all unified.
“I think we’re confident, and I think we’re going to be competitive right off the bat. We know what we want and we’re going to take it.”
Brewer and other teams in the new Pine Tree Conference Class B will have to cope with a schedule with no Class C opponents and additional lengthy road trips with the addition of Morse of Bath, Leavitt of Turner Center, and Oak Hill of Wales, along with a crossover game against a team from the southern Maine-based Campbell Conference. Brewer won’t play Morse this season, but does have games at Oak Hill and Leavitt, as well as its season opener against Campbell Conference foe Lake Region in Naples .
“The road trips will be difficult,” said Ortego, whose coaching staff includes offensive coordinator Dana Corey, John Mackie, Ben Gargan, and John Roberts. “But the big thing with us is that we need game experience. We do have a lot of athleticism. It’s the experience we have to gain.”
Rancourt, for one, believes experience is mainly a function of getting a chance to play, and there are many on the roster who have waited two or three years for the opportunity that now awaits them.
“We’ve been working hard. There’s a lot of intensity, a lot of excitement about the season,” said Rancourt, who shares team captain duties with Elliott and senior lineman Andrew Thoms. “There’s a lot of people who have worked hard for this chance. This year they’re going to get a chance to start, and they want to make the most of it.
“There’s a lot of talent among the younger guys, a lot of potential to be successful.”
BREWER WITCHES
2002 results: 7-3, 2nd in LTC B, lost to Leavitt in Eastern B semifinals
Head coach: Ed Ortego, 1st year
Key players: Ryan Elliott, C-DE, Sr.; Andrew Thoms, OG-DT, Sr.; Courtney Rancourt, QB-LB, Sr.; Dan Fox, QB-DB, Sr.; Chris Noyes, FB-LB, Sr.; Brad Kearns, DT, Sr.; Andrew Quirk, OG-NT, Sr.; J.T. Davis, WR, Sr.; Mike Ford, WR-DB, Sr.; Andy Frost, WB-LB, Sr.
Outlook: A strong start against early season foes Lake Region, Mount Desert Island, and Oak Hill would enable the many first-year starters to build confidence. The Witches also need to adjust successfully to their newly implemented option offense in order to challenge for a third straight playoff berth.
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