HAMPDEN – Two years under the tutelage of Harry McCluskey have brought steady progress to the Hampden Academy varsity football team.

In 2005 the Broncos reached the Pine Tree Conference Class B quarterfinals. Last fall a senior-laden team rallied from a 1-3 start to earn Hampden its first home playoff game since 1998, an overtime quarterfinal victory over Belfast and a berth in the regional semifinals.

But ask the coach, and the recent uptick in the school’s football fortunes is as much about a program as about a specific team.

“The senior class last year was the first class to go through youth football, and I think youth football is making a difference,” said McCluskey. “I think we’re getting more kids and they’re doing a good job of coaching them up in the eighth grade and getting a lot of enthusiasm going at the lower levels.”

This year’s team will be considerably younger than the 2006 edition that featured 17 seniors, including Fitzpatrick Trophy semifinalist Josh Ranger and all-state honorees Ranger, Bob Seger and Kyle Ross.

But the overall numbers are strong, spurred on in part by the success the program has enjoyed at the middle-school level.

This year we have 65 kids out grades 9-12,” said McCluskey. “We’ve got a good group of kids, but we don’t have a lot of juniors and seniors. We’ve got some pretty good sophomores and freshmen; they were both undefeated as eighth graders.”

This year’s varsity will be led by junior Shawn Smith, a third-year starter at quarterback.

“He’s not one of those who’s a yelling-type leader, he’s one that shows by example,” said McCluskey of Smith. “He’s always the first in line, always runs hard, always gives everything he’s got in drills. He has really gotten better and better as a passer.”

Hampden also features a talented group of receiving threats for Smith to work with, among them senior wingback Ryan Lindemann.

“The big thing is having receivers that have good hands,” McCluskey said.” I think we’ve got better a better group of receivers than we’ve had since I’ve been here. Now I’m not saying we haven’t had better individuals, but as far as a group of receivers, this is a good group.

“Our plan is to try to throw more this year, but that was my plan last year and we wound up having a real strong ground game.”

While youth abounds, there is some experience among the youth, particularly Smith and several teammates who have seen considerable playing time as underclassmen. They’ve already been part of the program’s recent surge and hope to solidify last fall’s status among the PTC Class B’s upper echelon this year.

“If you can just get kids to believe in themselves and keep working, that’s the big thing,” said McCluskey. “I think this group, or at least some of them, have been there and now know it’s possible to do things.

“Kids at Waterville and Winslow and places like that, they just expect to win. Our kids are getting there.”

The Broncos are united in believing that “there” this season is a return trip to the playoffs. They’re getting used to it, after all.

“I’ve told them we want to play our best game our last game of the year,” said McCluskey. “Hopefully that will be a state championship, but if not I still want the last game to be our best game.

“The whole idea about this is yeah, I’d like to win ’em all, I’d like to win a state championship, but my No. 1 goal is for these kids to learn how to compete as a team, and when it’s all said and done to feel like they gave everything they had.”

HAMPDEN ACADEMY BRONCOS

2006 results: 6-4, PTC Class B semifinalists

Head coach: Harry McCluskey, third year

Key players: Shawn Smith, Jr., QB-DB; David Piete, Sr., RB-DB; Travis Garcelon, Sr., OL-DL; Ryan Lindemann, Sr., WB-DB; Jarred Kelsey, Sr., OL-DL

Outlook: Several sophomores and even a few freshmen may be pressed into starting roles this year for the Broncos, but McCluskey is as confident about his underclassmen as he is about a small but dedicated group of juniors and seniors. Smith gives the team one of the league’s top playmakers, but how far Hampden advances likely will depend on the youngsters, because they will provide the depth needed for the Broncos to survive a rugged PTC Class B schedule.