Lynx persevere during changes MA to battle Ponies for title

LINCOLN – Mattanawcook Academy’s appearance in Saturday’s Eastern Maine Class C football final is a testament to the talent and adaptability of the veteran players on the team.

It’s not often a program achieves substantial success when it plays under three different head coaches in as many years, but instead of being resistant to any change the Lynx have embraced both the similarities and differences coaches Mike Carney, Mike Bisson and now Art Greenlaw brought into their football lives.

The results have been impressive. After reaching the semifinals last fall, MA (9-1) is top-seeded in the division this year and will host No. 2 Foxcroft Academy (9-1) in the 1:30 p.m. regional final at Curry Field.

“I think for the most part each coach has had his way of teaching fundamentals and different ways of bringing across each topic in the game,” said lineman Andrew Zagorianakos, one of 12 seniors on the Lynx roster.

Many of the seniors started as sophomores under Carney, and while MA didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2003, the experience served as a building block for what was to come.

Bisson, a longtime assistant coach, moved into the head post last fall and guided the Lynx to a playoff berth, but went back to serving as an assistant this year after being named principal of the two SAD 67 elementary schools in Lincoln and Mattawamkeag.

In stepped Greenlaw, who joined the MA football staff as the offensive coordinator last year after an 18-year tenure at Stearns of Millinocket that was highlighted by four state championships.

“Pregames are different, practice schedule are different, plays are different,” said senior quarterback Dylan Hanscom. “For me it’s probably the most different, because each year we’ve had a different offense put in. With coach Carney it was a lot of motion stuff, and with coach Bisson he got rid of the motion and we went with just power running, and with coach Greenlaw we’ve mixed up the run and pass, and then we run it some more.”

Each of those approaches has helped mold the current Mattanawcook squad, which is seeking the program’s first state title since 1999. The Lynx were the preseason favorite in Eastern C, a status enhanced by their 21-14 victory over Western C favorite Lisbon in Week 3.

“Definitely going into that game it was scary,” said senior fullback-linebacker Jason Murchison. “We didn’t know what to expect from the West, but everybody said Lisbon was the top dog over there and beating them pretty much sent a message to everybody telling how good we are.”

Hopes for an undefeated season were dashed two weeks later, when Foxcroft came to town and earned a 14-12 victory.

“I really didn’t think we came to play early in the game, probably in the second quarter we started playing,” said Hanscom. “Then we got down to the goal line in the fourth quarter and we just didn’t punch it in. That was our chance to win the game, but we just couldn’t come up with it that time.”

None of the Mattanawcook seniors have ever beaten Foxcroft, which will be playing in its fifth consecutive Eastern Maine final on Saturday.

But with an aggressive defense and an offense led by 1,500-yard senior tailback Duncan Markie, the Lynx hope to snap that streak when it matters most.

“At the beginning of the season everyone envisioned a 12-0 perfect season,” said Hanscom. “Then we lost to [Foxcroft] the first time and we knew that wasn’t going to happen so we just have to come as close as we can to that.

“Right now our state of mind is the way it’s been all season, just to keep winning and win that last game.”