MILLINOCKET – The Stearns High football team may be down on numbers this fall, but that doesn’t mean the Minutemen aren’t putting up some impressive numbers.

That’s particularly true of running back Gene Kim, the LTC Class C’s leading rusher through the first two weeks of the schedule with 499 yards.

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound senior opened the season with 314 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries in a wild 37-36 loss at Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield. Last week Kim followed that up with 185 yards and two touchdowns on 32 tries in a 42-14 loss at Rockland.

Kim’s fast start – in which he’s averaging 7.4 yards on his 67 carries – should come as no surprise. He ranked eighth among LTC ballcarriers last fall with 607 rushing yards despite missing nearly half the season due to injury.

“It’s nice to have a kid his size with the ability to get around the corner and run outside plays,” said Stearns coach Chris Preble. “He can also plug right up the middle and get those tough yards.

“Usually you get a guy who’s either 170 [pounds] or 200 and they can do one or the other, but not both.”

Preble also cites Kim’s quick feet, which often come into play against overpursuing defenses that have been geared up throughout the week leading to their games against Stearns to stop the Stearns standout.

“He just doesn’t stop running,” said Preble, whose Minutemen play their home opener Friday night against 0-2 Dexter. “When teams play us, they tend to overpursue, and he makes some big plays when he cuts back.”

Kim’s offensive work has been complemented by 6-foot, 220-pound fullback Cory Barnett, who is averaging about 80 rushing yards per game in addition to his lead blocking.

Up front, the Minutemen are relatively young but do boast some experience in offensive tackles Ryan Albert and Jeremy Santerre, guards Spencer Pelkey and Kurt Hamilton, and Tyler Pelletier, a first-year player at center.

“Our line has been doing a good job,” Preble said. “Last year there was a lot of confusion, but this year they’ve really been picking up what they’re supposed to do. We don’t have as many players, but a lot of the kids are more experienced.”

Kim also leads the conference in carries through two weeks, in part a measure of his success when he touches the ball, but also a reflection of the lack of numbers on the Stearns roster. With a couple of players healed after missing last week’s game against Rockland, Stearns is likely to dress 21 players for its matchup with Dexter.

In fact, Kim rarely, if ever, leaves the field once the game starts. He starts on defense at linebacker and ranks among the team’s top tacklers, and also kicks off and handles the extra-point duties for the Minutemen.

“He’s a horse for us,” Preble said.

Playing time eludes Lindie

A year ago, Justin Lindie’s playing time early in the season for the Winslow High football team was limited by injuries.

The star tailback suffered a slight concussion in the Black Raiders’ season opener, and sprained his ankle a week later.

The 5-foot-10, 193-pound speedster is missing time early this season, too, but the reason is vastly different.

This year he and most of the other Black Raiders’ starters are victims of their own success as lopsided halftime leads against Leavitt of Turner Center in their opener and in their 56-14 win over Belfast last Saturday have meant that the reserves have gotten most of the second-half playing time.

Still, Lindie is making the most of his opportunities. Through Winslow’s 2-0 start, he has rushed for 270 yards on just 15 carries – an astounding 18 yards per carry – and has scored three touchdowns for a balanced Winslow attack that has amassed 100 points in two games.

“I feel I’m stronger than I was last year because of time in the gym,” said Lindie, the son of Winslow assistant coach Dave Lindie. “I’ve been working with my dad on plyometrics, doing everything I can to get better.”

“He’s a bigger, stronger kid,” added senior quarterback-linebacker Stephen Siviski. “He’s worked year round to get better. Including him, it’s everybody’s passion to get better at a sport we love.”

Like Siviski and several other three-year starters on the Black Raiders’ roster, Lindie is focused on bringing home a state championship to Winslow for the first time since 2001.

They already have come close, winning the Eastern Maine Class B title in 2004 and losing to Brewer in the regional final last year.

“Our motivation is we’re doing everything for the last time,” said Lindie of the senior class, “and we’re going to try to win it all.”

Already there is great anticipation among central Maine football fans about the Pine Tree Conference regular-season finale between Winslow and 2-0 Waterville scheduled for Oct. 21 at Poulin Memorial Field in Winslow – potentially as a battle of unbeatens with the league’s regular-season championship on the line.

Should that scenario materialize, the rivalry between the cross-river opponents would be heightened, for sure, but for the Winslow players, it would be more another step toward a larger goal.

“We’re motivated by being denied a state championship the last two years,” said Siviski. ” A lot of us played as sophomores [in the state final] two years ago, and it hurt bad to lose that game. We want to win it this year.”