THORNDIKE – Ron Simmons already has seen his share of growing pains guiding the evolution of football in the Unity-Thorndike area from a nonaffiliated eight-on-eight youth league program to club status for the past two years at Mount View High School.

Now comes the biggest move for the Mustangs, to the LTC Class C varsity ranks.

It’s a move that in some respects has made life easier for the Mustangs’ head coach, who has led the program through each stage of its development over the last five years.

“One big effect is that we’re now in a league and we have a schedule ahead of time, instead of wondering at times whether we were going to have a game from week to week,” said Simmons, a former lineman at Plymouth State who teaches physical education at Mount View Junior High School.

“Another advantage is that we have a whole other level of football to offer. With the JV program every kid is going to have a game every week whether he’s on varsity or not.”

Simmons also is benefiting from a deeper coaching staff. Before, he was either on his own or at most had one part-time assistant. Now he has a full staff tasked with helping the young Mustangs feel their way through their varsity football orientation.

“There’s a sense of normalcy for me,” said Simmons. “With a full staff, now we can get back to teaching football.”

That includes scouting opponents on film, something that wasn’t possible at the developmental level.

“To play a Class C schedule, and to be able to prepare on games by looking at film will be a big help,” he said.

How successful the Mustangs are in their varsity debut remains to be seen, and how that success will be measured this fall won’t necessarily be seen in league standings and Crabtree points.

“We want the kids to learn their assignments and to be accountable and responsible for coming to practice and doing what they say they’re going to do,” said Simmons.

“Certainly we’d all like to be competitive and for teams to know that when they come out to play us that they’ll be facing a mentally tough team and a team that doesn’t quit.”

Another significant step for the program will come when the team has a permanent home field, a step that is likely two or three years in the future and is tied to the current construction of a new high school in Thorndike.

In the meantime, the Mustangs are thankful for the generosity of a neighboring school, Belfast Area High School, where Mount View will play its varsity home games this season.

“We all certainly want to thank Belfast for giving us a field to play on,” said Simmons. “That’s a tremendous thing they’re doing for us.”

And perhaps the biggest step of all for the competitive psyche of the program will come with its first varsity victory on any field.

“Of course, that first win ever as a Class C team is a goal,” said Simmons. “They’ll come, but I tell the kids that wins and losses aren’t everything, it’s how they play the game, and we’ll give them time to grow.”

MOUNT VIEW MUSTANGS

2006 results: First-year varsity team in LTC Class C

Head coach: Ron Simmons, 1st year

Key players: Ed Rodriguez, DE-TE, Sr.; Edwin Santana, QB-FS, Sr.; Charles Henry, SE-CB, Sr.; Waylon Milliard, FB-LB, Sr.; Jacob Ring, WB-SS, Jr.

Outlook: The Mustangs have just 11 seniors among their 40 players and will struggle as they gain experience while coping with a lack of size along the line of scrimmage. Santana has played football under coach Ron Simmons for several years at the developmental level and provides leadership skills at quarterback, while Rodriguez will be a defensive catalyst.