The Central Aroostook High School Panthers have done it the hard way en route to winning two straight Class D boys state championships.

They’ve had to beat the third and top seed each of the last two times, plus the No. 2 seed last season.

Head coach Tim Brewer doesn’t expect it to get any easier this year, as the Panthers’ schedule strength is again comparatively weak, meaning they won’t have much room for error in the regular season.

“We only lost one game last year and ended up in sixth place,” Brewer said. “We may have to run the table again last year with our schedule.”

With five of his top seven players – three of them starters – and seven of 10 total players back, Brewer was already well positioned to make another run, but thanks to an early Christmas present, the Panthers are a solid favorite to repeat, weak schedule or not.

Santa had to use some extra wrapping paper for this gift as it’s a 6-foot-7 athletic center-forward named Silas Kelley, who transferred from Greater Houlton Christian Academy in the preseason.

“You always have question marks, but I thought even coming into the season we have a good chance to win it,” Brewer said. “The addition of Silas obviously increases our chances.”

Kelley injects a rare size advantage Brewer is not used to having. It also makes it difficult, if not impossible, for teams to try to force the running Panthers into a deliberate halfcourt game.

That’s not to say there won’t be some growing pains.

“I’ve never really had a true center, to be honest, so it will be interesting,” Brewer explained. “The addition of Silas will make it take longer for the team to gel. We could have a struggle for Silas and the players we have. I mean, my guards are used to just shooting and not trying to work it inside.”

Those guards will be led by junior Cameron York, who’s taking over the point from graduated big brother Andrew York. Joining him are returning starters Cameron York, a junior, and Tim Carlson, a senior. Sophomore Manny Martinez rounds out the backcourt after splitting his time between varsity and JV last season. The other returning starter is junior guard-forward Sam Clockedile. First off the bench is junior forward Logan McCarthy.

Central Aroostook’s opponents in the last two Eastern Maine title games: Deer Isle-Stonington (2006) and Lee Academy (2005), again loom as big obstacles on the road to a Panthers’ title.

Coach Glenn Billings’ DI-S Mariners return four starters and plenty of size and athleticism from last year’s regional runner-up squad. This year, they’ve added experience and motivation to their list of strengths.

“There are a lot of expectations, I think, but I tell them not to get caught up in it,” said Billings. “They understand what they need to do.”

“It looks like to me that most of those players have stepped up their games a notch, working hard in the offseason.”

The memory of February’s 80-52 regional title game loss is still fresh in the minds of the Mariners, who learned a good lesson in the loss: Don’t be one-dimensional on offense.

The Mariners were reliant on their halfcourt and inside game. When the Panthers shot 54.5 percent from the field and canned eight of 15 3-point shots, they exposed the Mariners’ lack of perimeter shooting.

“When you get beat like that, that was the big one to learn on,” Billings said. “We had some shots, but we didn’t take them. Now we’ve added that kind of dimension.

“I think we probably score inside better than most, but this year we’ve very hard on our outside shooting. So if people pack zones out, we have more range.”

On defense, the Mariners will pressure opponents with presses and zone traps, challenging them all over the court.

The Mariners’ lineup is solid with 6-3 junior center Colin Ciomei, 6-0 senior power forward Shane Eaton, 6-0 senior poing guard Bob Brown, 6-2 senior forward John Eaton, and 5-10 senior guard Bryant Ciomei, who takes over the point for graduate Brian Billings. The Mariners are strong off the bench as well with 6-0 sophomore swingman Eban Powers, 5-8 senior guard Dean Siebert, and 6-0 senior swingman Devon Gross.

Lee Academy wouldn’t figure as a top contender with only two starters back, but with six of the Pandas’ top nine players back and the infusion of two new faces who figure to immediately fill holes, they most certainly are.

Lee’s nucleus is 6-0 forward Tom Bird and 6-0 point guard Peter Pickering – two of the team’s 10 seniors. They’re joined by Sydney Surratt, a 6-2 senior guard who went from L.A. (Los Angeles) to L.A. (Lee Academy) who will get immediate playing time.

Other key players are 6-0 junior forward Devan Parker (East Grand star Darius Parker’s younger brother), 5-8 senior guard Corey Coulombe, and 5-10 senior guard Jon Connick.

The other new face is senior Jesus Torres, a transfer from Puerto Rico. Like Surratt, the 6-0 guard came to play for Lee’s postgrad team, but opted for the high school team since he had eligibility.

Lee doesn’t have much size, but it does have experience, athleticism, and versatility.

“Depth is a concern, yes. We’re not very tall or big, so we’ll have to rely on quickness, but that’s always kind of been our style,” said Lee coach Randy Harris.

The Schenck Wolverines return three starters and six of their top eight players from a team that lost to Central Aroostook in the semifinals.

“I think we’re going to be in the thick of it,” said longtime coach Steve Levasseur. “I think we’re probably a little bit better than we were last year in terms of depth.”

Back are 5-11 guard Kerry Thompson, 6-2 forward Chris Byron (both seniors), and junior guard Mike Lowell. Joining them in the starting five are 6-1 junior guard-forward Lanny Thompson and 6-1 junior power forward Ethan McLaughlin.

Schenck also has size off the bench in 6-5 junior forward Nathan Lewis, who Levasseur hopes to see develop some aggressiveness inside, and three freshman all taller than six feet. Other key subs are 5-9 senior guard James Graham and 5-6 sophomore Aaron Hutchins.

Even with the size and a decrease in quickness, Schenck will still try to run and play a lot of man and pressing defense.

“I think there’s a few teams not being counted on to do much that will be there when everything’s settled” Levasseur said of race to the tourney.

Among them, look for Washburn, Woodland, and Katahdin of Sherman to contend.