MDI, Orono get off to impressive starts Trojans ride defense; Riots’ offense clicks

The first three weeks of the high school football season have produced both the expected and the unexpected – as well as the success stories of Mount Desert Island and Orono, which fall somewhere in between.

MDI earned its first postseason berth in a decade last fall, but graduation took a heavy toll on the Trojans.

Yet after a season-opening loss at Eastern Maine Class B champion Winslow, coach Mark Shields’ club has bounced back with wins over two other 2006 playoff teams, Morse of Bath and Waterville, to improve to 2-1 and set the stage for perhaps a second straight trip to the second season.

MDI edged Morse 19-13 in overtime in its home opener two weeks ago, then trekked to Waterville last Saturday and knocked off the Purple Panthers 20-14 in a rematch of last fall’s Pine Tree Conference Class B quarterfinal.

“Defensively we’ve been pretty solid,” said Shields. “We weren’t sure coming out to start the season what we were going to have because we graduated so many kids, but we’ve had some of the younger kids step up and play well for us.”

That defense is led by senior linebacker Danny Dunn, the top tackler in the Pine Tree Conference Class B ranks.

“He’s a tough kid who moves well, he’s really fast, and he’s a real good tackler,” said Shields.

The Trojans also have a solid secondary in Terrence Jones – who two interceptions against Waterville – Nolan Hall, Tyler Crawford and Jasper Cousins, who is back after sitting out last season and is the team’s second-leading tackler

“They play well as a group,” said Shields. “They have decent speed and they’re tackling well.”

The Trojans have been balanced on offense. QB Tyler Crawford has completed 53 percent of his passes, while Dunn and Odane Gaynor have been the leading rushers and Jones and Hall have combined for more than 200 receiving yards.

MDI faces another challenge Friday at 1-2 Hampden Academy. The Trojans defeated the Broncos on the island last fall, a 19-0 win that spurred MDI’s playoff surge and served as a wakeup call for Hampden as it rebounded from a 1-3 start to reach the PTC semifinals.

The second half of the season offers even more promise for a strong stretch run by MDI. Its final four foes – Oak Hill of Wales, Old Town, Nokomis of Newport and Belfast – have a combined record of 3-9.

But first things first.

“Hampden’s a good football team,” said Shields. “They’re fast, they’ve got some skilled kids and their quarterback’s a good athlete. It’s going to be a tough game.”

While MDI was uncertain of how its 2007 season would begin, Orono began its year in an optimistic frame of mind.

The Red Riots were just 3-6 in 2006, but 2-2 in their final four games.

“We finished very strong last year,” said Orono coach Bob Sinclair. “Then the kids worked hard in the weight room, we had a BFF (Bigger, Faster, Stronger) clinic in June. We work at football year-round at Orono.”

That work has translated into a 3-0 start this season, leaving Orono as just one of two undefeated teams in the LTC Class C ranks.

That fast start has been highlighted by a 29-28 victory over Bucksport in Week 2.

“Everybody likes to look at the Bucksport win, but for us it was really business as usual,” Sinclair said. “We’re 2-2 against them in my four years here, but I’m sure it helped a little bit with the confidence because the kids knew they could play with a perennial playoff contender in the LTC.”

Offense has been at the heart of Orono’s early success – the Red Riots are averaging a conference-best 397.3 yards of total offense per game.

Quarterback Kash Keezer has completed more than 50 percent of his passes while throwing for 263 yards, while Collin Bates has emerged as the LTC’s second-leading rusher, with 460 yards on just 43 carries, after being injured for much of the 2006 campaign.

“One of the keys has been the development of our quarterback, Kash Keezer,” said Sinclair. “He’s got some fairly impressive numbers for an Orono quarterback.”

Orono faces its toughest test of the season Friday night, a Homecoming date at unbeaten Foxcroft Academy, the two-time defending Eastern C champion.

“It’s a measuring stick for us,” said Sinclair, “and we’re excited to play them.”