BREWER – The Brewer Witches’ return to the Class A football ranks for the first time in nearly a decade last fall was much less than a ringing success.

An 0-8 record left the team wondering what hit it and prompted coach Don Farnham and his staff to do some soul-searching.

“It’s a new year, and you erase the memories of last year,” said Farnham. “We’ve spent a lot of time as a staff evaluating what we want to do and how we want to do things.

“We’ve had some success in the past, but now we’re in a situation where these kids need to start building confidence and work on winning and not just playing well. Winning is not everything, but somewhere along the line you’ve got to start winning some ballgames.”

Brewer hopes the key to unlocking the vault of success is found in the double-wing offense the team is now using.

The double wing is quite far removed from the spread offense the Witches used at the outset of the 2007 season, but its aggressive nature is something both Farnham and his players see spreading throughout all facets of the team.

“It is a 100 percent team-oriented offense,” said Farnham. “You just tell kids to pin their ears back and hit people, and at the end of the day, no matter if you won or lost, you know you’ve given everything you’ve got.

“The attitude of this team has changed because of that, both on the offensive side and on defense.”

Senior Coby Hutchins, who saw some duty at quarterback a year ago, is directing the Witches’ double wing attack this fall.

“It’s a lot different than what we did last year,” he said. “I personally like the offense a lot. It’s compact, and I think we can get a couple of yards with any play that we run.”

Pivotal to the success of Brewer’s double wing will be the development of a relatively inexperienced line anchored by team captain Jon Thoms.

“It’s really different,” said Thoms, who will start at offensive tackle. “But we’re getting into it and it’s beginning to be a lot of fun.”

Those joining Thoms along the line of scrimmage will include senior guards Matt Helfin and Brandon Carney and junior center Matt Demchak.

Hutchins will work with a bevy of running backs that includes senior Billy Bissell and juniors Pat McEwen, Tyler Kingsbury and Jamie Williamson at tailback and junior Nick Risser and seniors Sean Murphy and Andy Bush at fullback.

Seniors Aaron Lacey, Josh Tripp, Adam Stanley and Colby Small will play offensive end.

“Our motto for this offense is ‘smashmouth,'” said Hutchins. “When we run our plays, we want every play to be run just as hard as we can run it and just as fast as we can run it. We’re really trying to prove something to the other teams we play with this offense, and we’re hoping that will carry over into our defensive play.”

Carney, Helfin and junior Matt Junkin will anchor the defensive front, with Thoms, Risser and Bush at inside linebacker and Murphy, Small and junior Jeremy Heath on the outside.

Bissell, Hutchins, senior Kyle O’Connell and junior Dom Drake give the Witches an athletic secondary.

Farnham and the Witches hope the double wing not only will improve the team’s effectiveness on the field, but also its collective psyche as the team seeks respectability within the Class A ranks.

“We did not win a ball game last year, and when you get to 0-6 or 0-7, obviously the season’s not going the way you want it to go in terms of wins and losses,” Farnham said. “But the kids still came out and practiced hard and they came out with good attitudes. I think they learned a lot about themselves last year.

“This year we’re working to instill the attitude that we know what we need to do but we’re only going to win by being together.

“The biggest thing is that I want the sport of football to be a positive experience for these kids,” Farnham added. “I don’t stress wins and all that stuff, but we need to show this community that we can play Class A football.

“We are a Class A program, and we’re going to win Class A games.”

BREWER WITCHES

2007 results: 0-8

Head coach: Don Farnham, 3rd year

Key players: Jon Thoms, Sr., OT-LB; Coby Hutchins, Sr., QB-DB; Nick Risser, Jr., FB-LB; Matt Helfin, Sr., OG-DL; Bill Bissell, Sr., RB-DB; Andy Bush, Sr., FB-LB; Sean Murphy, Sr., FB-LB; Brandon Carney, Sr., OG-DL

Outlook: The Witches’ self-esteem seems renewed by the double-wing offense, though ultimately only a few wins will sustain those positive feelings. The addition of Bissell, junior Pat McEwen and track standout Ben Sinclair adds athleticism to the roster, but Brewer is rebuilding along the line of scrimmage. After opening the season against Skowhegan in a battle of double-wing attacks, consecutive games against Oxford Hills of South Paris, Mt. Blue of Farmington and Mount Ararat of Topsham will go a long way toward determining if Brewer is capable of a playoff run.