BREWER – As the only returning full-time starter on his team, Chad Szylvain might feel like a stranger in a strange football land.

But that’s not the case at all for Szylvain, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound offensive tackle and reigning first-team All-Pine Tree Conference Class B linebacker who serves as one of this year’s tri-captains at Brewer High.

“We’ve got some guys back who started some last year, and a lot of guys got a lot of reps on the second unit,” he said. “Everyone’s come out strong right from the start this year. A lot of the guys had a great offseason program of conditioning and lifting.”

Szylvain can appreciate making the jump from backup to first team, or junior varsity to varsity. Szylvain made that move a year ago, after playing on a junior varsity team that lost just once during his sophomore season.

Last year’s Brewer junior varsity went undefeated, and many of those players will be contributing on the varsity level this fall.

“Last year I was confident coming up from the JVs, and I felt confident going into this year because of the success the new guys this year had at the JV level,” said Szylvain, who shares captain’s duties with classmates Ryan Brooks, a center, and wingback-linebacker Jake Richter.

“We’ve got good classes of juniors and sophomores, and they look up to the seniors even though we don’t have a lot of people in our class.”

This year’s Brewer roster has just 11 seniors, far fewer than the 21 who graduated from last year’s club that fell to Belfast in the Eastern Maine Class B semifinals.

“We probably had the most depth and quickness we’ve had at Brewer in the last few years last year, so it’s a significant loss,” said second-year Witches head coach Ed Ortego.

Brewer does have a core group of experienced players, including Szylvain, Brooks, Richter, senior fullback-defensive tackle Matt Littlefield, senior tackles Sean Pulley and Jared Knowles, senior quarterback-linebacker Kevin McAvoy, and junior quarterback-defensive back Ricky Porter.

But the 47-player varsity roster will be heavy on underclassmen.

“We’ve had big senior classes the last two years,” said Ortego. “We don’t have a lot of seniors this year, but there are some really good kids, so it’s just something we have to deal with. We think we have a very good junior class, and a solid sophomore class.”

Ortego and his staff are installing a new offense and modifying the defense to capitalize on team speed.

So far, so good for that transition.

“I think we’re much better at this point than we were last year,” Ortego said.

Brewer has earned a playoff berth each of the last three years, but each time has lost in the first round.

Those bittersweet endings to strong regular seasons are serving as a motivational force this fall.

“I think we’re capable of getting back to where we were last year and then go beyond that,” said Szylvain, whose plans beyond high school include medical school. “We’ve got the three-year curse of losing in the first round of the playoffs, so hopefully we’ll get beyond that this year.”

To do that, Brewer will have to be successful against the conference’s perennial powers, 2003 state champion Belfast and Winslow – with both of those tests on the road, Belfast in Week 5 and Winslow to end the season in Week 9.

“The motivation to succeed is as high with this team as with any we’ve coached,” said Ortego. “It’s a very coachable team that wants to get better. There’s no arrogance whatsoever, they just want to be good.”

BREWER WITCHES

2003 results: 6-3, lost in PTC B semifinals

Head coach: Ed Ortego, second year

Key players: Chad Szylvain, Sr., OT-LB; Matt Littlefield, Sr., FB-DT; Ryan Brooks, Sr., OC; Jared Knowles, Sr., OL-DL; Kevin McAvoy, Sr., QB-RB-DB; Jake Richter, Sr., WB-LB; Ben Caldwell, Jr., FB-LB; Zack Wilson, Jr., TB-LB; Ricky Porter, Jr., QB-DB; Sean Pulley, Sr., OL-DL; Mitchell Peasley, Jr., SE-CB

Outlook: The Witches suffered some heavy graduation losses, and are waiting for McAvoy (broken hand) and Peasley (broken arm) to return to full strength from injuries suffered during baseball season. With just 11 seniors and one full-time starter returning from last year, Brewer is young, but the Witches expect to get major contributions from products of an unbeaten 2003 junior varsity team as they strive to return to the PTC Class B playoffs.