BAR HARBOR – Three senior members of the Mount Desert Island football team didn’t want to make any predictions about the upcoming season before a recent afternoon practice.

They all agree, however, that the Trojans have a lot of potential for another successful season.

“We’ve got a lot of guys returning and a lot of us have been doing this for a long time,” senior captain Andrew Leiser said. “We know the potential’s there. But we’re trying to think, we have to beat Maranacook [in the opener] and then go from there.”

The Trojans didn’t set PTC Class B North on fire last year. But for a program that went winless in 2004 and won just four games from 2001 to 2004, last year’s 3-5 record is something upon which MDI can build.

With just one starter having graduated and 20 seniors on the roster, MDI will likely be even more competitive this season.

“[The senior class] works hard and they have great leadership,” coach Mark Shields said. “They want to see the program turned around and they’ve a lot of things to make that happen.”

The Trojans even have their own standout wide receiver in senior Collin Walton. He earned first-team honors in PTC Class B and racked up more than 400 receiving yards.

MDI will need another good season out of Walton while the situation at running back is still up in the air. The Trojans didn’t have any big rushers last year.

This season they’ll look to speedier backs such as sophomores Terrence Jones and Odane Gaynor.

“It’s going to be an exciting year,” Walton said. “Our offense is probably going to be much better than it was last year. We seem to be clicking in practice.”

Senior fullback Chris Ward knows the ground game will be key to Walton’s success – and it’s starting to come around.

“We started clicking in the last game last year and this year we’re looking to run the ball more so we can open up the passing game,” Ward said.

The team speed extends to the lines, too, as Shields said the Trojans have an average-sized, but athletic group.

MDI’s other offensive standout last season was then-freshman quarterback Tyler Crawford, who passed for 743 yards, second-most in the PTC B regular season.

Crawford and senior Sean Parady, who was injured last fall, will contend for the starting job.

“Tyler did a phenomenal job,” Shields. “For a freshman he came in and was unbelievable. For this year, I would suspect they’ll both see a lot of time. It’s a good problem to have.”

Either way, they’ll be in charge of running MDI’s I-formation.

Walton may have had a breakthrough year at receiver, but even he concedes that MDI’s defense was key to its wins. The Trojans posted shutouts against Maranacook of Readfield and Oak Hill of Sabattus, and beat Old Town 43-20 in the final week of the season.

“Defense kept us in those games last year,” Shields said. “Defensively with Andrew Leiser in the middle linebacker spot, he was a force last year and he’s just gotten better.”

MDI TROJANS

2005 results: 3-5, 5th in PTC Class B North

Head coach: Mark Shields, 4th year

Key players: Collin Walton, WR-DB, Sr.; Andrew Leiser, C-LB, Sr.; Chris Ward, FB-DT, Sr.; Sean Parady, QB-DB, Sr.; Sam Wilson, TE-DE, Sr.; Alex Keene, WB-DB, Sr.; Terrence Jones, WB-DB, Jr.; Tyler Crawford, QB-DB, Jr.; Odane Gaynor, TB-LB, Jr.; Jon Hall, RB-DE, So.

Outlook: Cautious optimism is the word in Bar Harbor. Keene, Jones and Hall will be expected to take off some of the pressure for Walton. The Trojans will again go with a 5-2 defense. Shields has a solid 58 players out this year, which is his biggest group so far at MDI.