The last time Hampden Academy’s football team played in a game this big, many of the current players hadn’t yet been born.

Others were still drooling and toddling around in diapers.

Saturday afternoon, the Broncos have a chance to make history in an already historical season for the Purple and White as they take on three-time defending LTC Class B champ Belfast in the LTC final.

The Broncos won their first LTC B regular season title this year to end a 17-year title drought (Hampden won the LTC Coastal Division title in 1981 but lost the league championship game to Orono). The Broncos’ only other football trophy comes from winning the 1952 Little Ten Conference title.

“We’ve never been in this situation since 1981 or 1952, but I mean, what’s that? It’s nothing to us. We weren’t even around,” starting tight end-cornerback and captain Jeremy Hopkins said. “So we really have something to prove and who else to do that against than the defending champions.”

Until this year, football title games have been a foreign concept in Hampden. The usual topic this time of year is how the new boys basketball coach will do. Now, football fever has hit Hampden.

“You go to one of our games and you can’t find a place in the bleachers unless you’re there 40 minutes before the game,” Hopkins added.

It’s a feeling even the seniors admit they’re still getting used to, especially when they look back at the not-so-distant lean years.

“I think freshman year, we were 0-9, so it kind of feels like we’re breaking new ground every time we play,” said captain and two-way starter Josh Dickinson. “It’s funny. Last year, everyone complained about how cold it was and you don’t even feel it this year.”

Maybe that’s because the Broncos have been one of the hottest teams in eastern Maine all season, averaging almost 500 yards of offense per game (495.8) while limiting opponents to 211.1 en route to a 9-1 record and three home playoff games – the first three in Hampden football history.

The strength of Hampden’s attack is its running game. Eighth-year head coach Bob Sinclair has no shortage of quality backs to line up in the T formation.

Halfbacks Ben Preston, who went over the 1,000-yard mark a third straight season with 1,306, and Vince Bennett (1,315, 16 touchdowns) have pounded away at teams behind a young but talented offensive line of junior center Jim Tribou, junior left guard Jarrod Tyler, sophomore right guard Bobby Treworgy, sophomore left tackle Adam Dickey, and senior captain/right tackle Ryan Thomas.

The depth doesn’t end there. Sophomore John Dickinson, starting in place of a suspended Preston last week, ran for 130 yards against Messalonskee and the league’s No. 1 defense. Two weeks ago, Dickinson racked up 186 yards in a quarterfinal blowout of Maranacook.

Fullback Jordan Marden (647 yards, 9 touchdowns) has also racked up good numbers despite being the primary blocker.

“Our team goal was to win the state championship and as long as we keep going, nobody cares who gets the numbers,” Marden said. “All season long, I think people may have misjudged us as a one-man team. I think with Ben being out, everyone really wanted this one to prove we’re the real thing and we’re not one-dimensional.”

The greatest team improvement this year is on defense, which was ranked near the bottom last year.

Defensive ends Josh Dickinson (nine sacks) and Marden (six) were 1-2 in the LTC, respectively in sacks during the regular season. Linebacker Ryan King, who subbed for Preston at free safety last week, is second in the LTC with 107 tackles despite missing some time with a knee sprain.

“It’s essentially the same squad, but there’s a lot more maturity and leadership this year,” Sinclair said. “Last year, we were beating teams, but we had to outscore them since we couldn’t stop anybody.”

Now it has become a tall order for anybody to stop the Broncos.