Jack Brady didn’t know what to expect when he took over as Mount View’s head football coach on Aug. 18.

After 14 seasons as an assistant at Belfast High, he arrived in Thorndike to begin guiding a program that went 0-9 last fall during its first varsity season.

Even so, Brady is already talking about his team with optimism and enthusiasm.

“I’m very excited,” Brady said. “The kids are very motivated. They want to play football so badly and they want to be good. We have tremendous potential if we can realize it.”

Potential is the key word for a Mount View squad dominated by 15 juniors. There are 45 players on the roster, including only one senior and 23 freshmen.

“Almost our entire starting team, except for three positions, are juniors and most of them played last year,” Brady said.

The Mustangs aren’t starting from scratch, by any means. Brady and assistants Steve Shaw and Bill Brosseau have maintained some of the foundation laid by former coach Ron Simmons, but they also have implemented their own philosophies.

Mount View must work through the transition and keep making steady progress.

“Number one is execution. We really want to be perfect on what we run and make sure that we’ve got everything tight and clean,” Brady said.”

The Mustangs will employ multiple offensive sets, including T-formation and Veer (a split set with a wingback). They’ll look to junior tailback Tyler Rednour and junior fullback Nate Seguin to set the tone running the ball.

“Our tailback is as good as any tailback I’ve ever coached,” Brady said. “He has great vision, good feet, is smart, fast and strong enough. ”

Lone senior Rob Barnes, a 280-pound tackle, and junior center John Shaw are the returnees on the line, which includes tackle Sebastian Laforge, guard Tristan Ripley and tight end Alic Albright, a newcomer to the sport.

Sophomore Aaron Santana replaces his older brother Edwin, who graduated, at quarterback.

“He’s smart, very coachable and a hard worker,” Brady said.

Defensively, Mount View must prove itself much more stout than the unit that allowed 43 points per game in 2007. The Mustangs’ 4-4 set will be led by Ripley, junior Demarcus Santana and Albright up front, along with linebackers Shaw and Seguin and safety Rednour.

Brady heads into the season believing his team, with a good work ethic and a little luck, can be a factor in the LTC ranks.

“They’re ready to take that next step and they’re willing to work to do it,” said Brady, who pointed to the importance of getting a victory early.

MOUNT VIEW MUSTANGS

2007 results: 0-9, LTC Class C

Head coach: Jack Brady, 1st season

Key players: Tyler Rednour, TB-S, Jr.; Aaron Santana, QB, Soph.; Rob Barnes, OT-DT, Sr.; John Shaw, OC-ILB, Jr.; Josh Coleman, TE-DE, Jr.; Alic Albright, TE-DE, Jr.; Nate Seguin, FB-ILB, Soph.; Sebastian Laforge, OT-DT, Jr.; Tristan Ripley, OG-DT, Jr.; DT Demarcus Santana, OL-DT, Jr.;

Outlook: The Mustangs hope to take the next step in the program’s development after playing its first season of varsity competition last fall. Mount View must again play all its games on the road, at Belfast High School, as its new facility won’t be ready until 2009. Mount View should benefit from parity in the LTC “C” schedule and a strong corps of juniors who played a lot of football a year ago.