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For the Mattanawcook Academy Lynx, the 2005 football season isn’t as much merely the Friday nights and Saturday afternoons of competition as it is the quest to be at their best for those tests.
“We talk about a journey of a thousand miles beginning with one step, and we talk about that every week,” said MA coach Art Greenlaw, whose club is 4-0 and the only undefeated team left in Class C statewide.
“You can’t get to where you want to be by leapfrogging all these different things. Our goal is to continue to play all through November, and we’ve got to get better, and we’ve got to stay healthy and we’ve got to be smart in all the things we do on and off the field.”
So far, so good for the Lynx, a veteran team featuring a senior class that endured some growing pains as sophomores, qualified for the LTC playoffs as juniors and now has positioned itself among the elite in their class, thanks n part to their offseason commitment.
“People have put their time and hard work in the weight room, and definitely everybody is bigger and stronger this year,” said senior co-captain Jason Murchison. “The coaches definitely have us well conditioned, so we’re ready to play all four quarters.”
“We just try to work real hard in practice,” added senior tailback Duncan Markie. “We do a lot of drills to get conditioned, and we just try to work hard because we’re looking forward to playing all the big teams.”
Beyond that commitment there is considerable talent. Markie (688 rushing yards, eight TDs), Murchison, senior quarterback Dylan Hanscom, senior tight end Cory Kimball, junior tight end Isaac Young and senior wideout Shey Gardner lead a deep group of skill-position players.
Along the line of scrimmage, seniors Andrew Zagorianakos and Ross Clapp spark a big, strong unit that has not only created holes for the likes of Markie and Murchison, but worn opposing lines down.
“We’ve got some tools at multiple positions, and they’ve paid their dues,” said Greenlaw, the longtime former Stearns of Millinocket coach who took the reins at MA this season when Mike Bisson was named principal of SAD 67 elementary schools in Lincoln and Mattawamkeag — though Bisson has stayed on as an assistant coach.
“We’ve got seniors that have played for three years, and maybe four years for some of them,” Greenlaw added. “We had great leadership this summer in the weight room and throughout the winter, and they’re all very competitive athletes. That’s the real thing we try to teach, that you’ve got to go out there and compete on every play, that you can’t let down, and I think these guys have been a real good illustration of that. They work hard and have good skills.”
The Lynx already have been tested twice this season, in a season-opening win against Orono and two weeks ago in a 21-14 victory over Lisbon, the preseason favorite in Western C.
And a challenging regular season schedule remains, including a road trip to Bucksport this Friday night, MA’s Homecoming game against Foxcroft Academy on Oct. 8, and an Oct. 15 home game against high-powered Rockland. Then comes the playoffs, and MA’s pursuit of its first state championship since 1999.
“We want to win our last game,” said Hanscom. “That’s what we want most of all.”
Say bye, bye, bye in Eastern A
This weekend will be a relatively quiet one in the Pine Tree Conference Class A ranks, with just four games scheduled and three teams — Lawrence of Fairfield, Lewiston and Skowhegan — receiving byes.
Typically this year, one team receives a bye each week, but because of the unusual number of teams in the division — 11 — and the need to have each team play an eight-game regular-season schedule in a nine-week window, the only way to make that happen was to have three teams take a bye on one weekend.
So far this season, teams coming off byes are 2-1, with Brunswick and Messalonskee of Oakland winning after their bye weeks, and Mount Ararat of Topsham dropping a 26-14 decision to Mt. Blue of Farmington last weekend after its bye.
Oxford Hills of South Paris drew the bye last week, and returns to action in a Week 5 matchup at home against Brunswick.
As far as this week’s bye teams, Lawrence will host Bangor next Friday, while Lewiston is at Mount Ararat and Skowhegan visits Brunswick.
Teams with bye weeks remaining are Mt. Blue in Week 6 (Oct. 7-8), Bangor in Week 7 (Oct. 14-15), Edward Little of Auburn in Week 8 (Oct. 21-22) and Cony of Augusta in Week 9 (Oct. 28-29).
Coming off its bye week, Bangor will play its Homecoming game against Mt. Blue of Farmington, which with Messalonskee of Oakland — Bangor’s foe this Friday at Cameron Stadium — are the only remaining undefeated teams in the conference.
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