HAMPDEN – On a still youthful Hampden Academy football team, Shawn Smith provides a veteran presence most rivals envy.

One of just four returning seniors on the Broncos’ roster, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Smith returns as a fourth-year starter at quarterback, one of the top safeties in Class B football, and an All-Pine Tree Conference Class B punter.

“He’s probably the fastest kid on the squad, if not one of the fastest,” said Hampden coach Harry McCluskey. “And he’s one of those kids who if a play breaks down he can take off and get a first down.”

Those are a couple of the physical tools, but McCluskey also likes Smith’s understanding of the game.

“I think Shawn not only knows the offense real well, but if you make a mistake, he corrects it,” said McCluskey, a veteran of four decades in the high school coaching ranks. “As many years as I’ve been coaching sometimes I slip back into terminology that really doesn’t apply to here that I used someplace else, and he knows me well enough to know what I’m talking about. That’s a plus.”

Smith saw considerable improvement among his younger teammates last fall, despite a 3-5 record that saw the Broncos just miss out on a playoff berth.

“You could really see that once players get enough experience they really hit a maturity level where they pick each other up,” he said.

Eight starters and 22 letterwinners return this fall, with linebacker-center Alex Van Uden, lineman Dave Smith and tight end-safety Nathan Rocker joining Smith as seniors back from last year’s squad.

Key juniors include Nolan Turner, a two-way back who was a second-team All-PTC choice on defense last fall; bruising fullback-linebacker Mike Jenkins and linemen Caleb O’Donnell and Evan Sinclair.

We’ve got a lot of juniors,” said Smith, “but most of them played last year so they’re young but they have experience.”

Hampden won’t be big up front, but will attempt to capitalize on its depth of backs and receivers.

“I think we have more skill people than we’ve ever had, kids who can run and catch,” McCluskey said.

Getting the ball to those backs and receivers will be a primary responsibility for Smith, whom McCluskey sees as an impact player capable of continuing his football career beyond the high school level.

“I’ve had five quarterbacks that played Division I, and I think he could hang in there with any of them if given the same opportunities they had when they were coming up through,” said McCluskey, a longtime coach in Texas and Colorado before coming to Hampden four years ago.

“I think he could play DB. He could kick, he could punt, he could play quarterback, he could do all of those things. To me he should be a Division I prospect.”

HAMPDEN ACADEMY BRONCOS

2007 results: 3-5

Head coach: Harry McCluskey, 4th year

Key players: Shawn Smith, Sr., QB-FS-P; Alex Van Uden, Sr., OC-OLB; Dave Smith, Sr., OG-DL; Nathan Rocker, Sr., TE-S; Nolan Turner, Jr., RB-DB; Mike Jenkins, Jr., FB-LB; John Haws, So; RB-DB; Justin Rodgerson, Jr., WB-DB; Caleb O’Donnell, Jr., OL-DL; Evan Sinclair, Jr., OL-DL

Outlook: The Broncos remain young, but have a solid corps of skill-position players led by QB Shawn Smith and RB Nolan Turner. Hampden should be able to make enough plays to qualify for the Pine Tree Conference Class B playoffs, but how far it advances likely will be determined by the development of the offensive and defensive lines.