LISBON FALLS

“We have one of the toughest schedules that I have ever seen us have, not including scrimmages with Traip Academy and Mountain Valley,” commented longtime Lisbon High School football coach Dick Mynahan when he scanned through his 2012 slate prior to his squad’s first practice.

The Greyhounds have a road game this Friday at Dirigo to open the season (7 p.m.), return home to take on Maranacook, visit Winthrop, host Freeport and Oak Hill (now led by former Mynahan assistant coach Stacen Doucette) and visit Yarmouth, the two-time defending Class C state champions. Plus, a trip to former Class B member Poland and a seasonfinale home clash with Winslow (also a recent Class B squad) closes out the season.

“When you look at the Campbell Conference, you have to play a full 48 minutes of football, and on this team our kids will have to play all of those 48 minutes,” said Mynahan, whose Greyhounds will begin the season with potential starters out of the lineup due to eligibility problems. “Endurance for us will be big, and injuries play a big part in how well we will do.”

Senior quarterback Ryan Riordan (also a cornerback) leads the offense. Fellow seniors Ryan Brewer (center), Casey Garrison (tackle/defensive tackle), Mason Haley (running back/linebacker), Brandon Hovey (tight end/CB) and Kyle Sheehan (RB/LB) return, joined by senior newcomer Devin Pesce (T/nose guard).

Juniors are Quincy Thompson (RB/DL), Brandon Laurelez (defensive end), Jordan Glover (split end) and Jordan Torres (RB), while sophomore newcomers are Kyle Bourget (safety), Joe Philbrook (OL/LB) and Darren Ward (OL).

Mynahan, whose squad finished 6-2 last season, defeated Winslow in the Western C quarterfinals before falling to Yarmouth in the semifinals, feels his team’s strengths will offset the lack of numbers.

“Our biggest strength is our great attitude and work ethic, led by the seniors. Each of the seniors have worked hard during the offseason in the weight room,” said Mynahan. “For us, I believe special teams will be important, and how well we possess the ball.”

Boys soccer

Greyhounds headman Dan Sylvester enters this season with several holes to fill after the graduation of 11 seniors, including nine starters from an 11-2-1 squad that made some noise in the Western Maine Class C postseason last year with a victory over Sacopee Valley and a narrow loss to North Yarmouth Academy.

“They were a highly-skilled group of players,” said Sylvester. “This year’s group is gritty and works extremely hard, something we will have to do to have success this season.”

Sylvester returns three seniors — midfielder Brady Fenderson, striker Aaron Halls and defender Brett Williams. Senior newcomers are Andrew Gamache (goaltender), Mike Jenkins (D), Zach Cribbin (D), Logan Maguire (D), Mitchell Austin (MF) and Brazilian foreign exchange student Henrique Duarte.

Kyle Whitman (F), Tyler Bard (MF), Cam Ramich (D) and Dillon Clifford (D/MF) are junior newcomers (Lisbon has no returning juniors), while freshmen Jake Angelico (D/MF) and Austin Bedford (MF) are penciled in to start.

The Greyhounds got their feet wet recently, playing in the Gray-New Gloucester Play Day.

“We didn’t win, but we played tough against some good competition,” said Sylvester after his team faced the host Patriots, North Yarmouth Academy, Poland and Westbrook. “I was pleased to see how well we played against Westbrook, considering it was the final game of the day and we didn’t have a break between games.”

Sylvester feels the opener with Monmouth (home, Sept. 4) “will dictate where we go in the Mountain Valley Conference. Hall-Dale and St. Dom’s are the favorites in the conference, while North Yarmouth will be a tough team to beat in Class C.

“Wiscasset, the way (coach) Wayne Benn prepares them makes them always tough, while Dirigo should be decent. The MVC will be tough again this season.”

Girls soccer

Greyhounds coach Jake Gentle comes into this season with solid senior leadership and juniors who have been through the MVC battles since they were freshmen, including last season’s 10-3-1 mark and No. 5 seed in the MVC.

His biggest challenge … replacing graduated three-time MVC All-Conference player Brooke Lawrence and goaltender Alexa Harmon.

“You can’t just replace a Brooke Lawrence, a player who controlled the field,” said Gentle, who feels his team makeup will lead to success this year. “We have a great group of kids who work hard. For us, if we play solid defense and make good decisions, we will be tough in a conference that is very balanced.

“We have to find a goaltender to replace Alexa Harmon, and right now two solid defenders are working back there in Chantal Bisson and Courtney Martel.”

Gentle said Dirigo and St. Dom’s are the preseason favorites, but “there are several teams who will battle for those top four spots, like an improving Wiscasset, Spruce Mountain, newcomer Telstar, Oak Hill and others. It will be tough just about every time out.”

Seniors Kayla Angelico (forward) and Gabby Ouellette (sweeper) are four-year starters for Gentle, while seniors Chelsea Huston (F), Bisson (D/GK) and Jordan Kates (D) have experience, along with juniors Paige Galligan (MF), Shantal MacWhinnie (MF), Jenna Clifford (F) and Martel (D/GK).

Returning sophomores for Gentle are Kailyn Hill (D) and Loren Grant (MF), with newcomers Drew Stewart-Staples (sophomore, D), Katherine George (freshman, F) and Abby Gamache (freshman, MF) looking for playing time.

Lisbon is scheduled to visit Mt. Abram on Monday in its opener, with the home opener set for Sept. 5 against Telstar.

“We are working to see how the girls handle tough situations and work to get them to mesh,” said Gentle. “We are moving them around a little, which can be a big adjustment with playing positions they are not familiar with.”

Field hockey

Forgive Lisbon coach Julie Wescott if she has a lot of things on her mind.

“We are buying a house in Wiscasset and it should be final some time this week,” said Wescott, who is also downright giddy about her Greyhounds this season.

Yes, she has just two seniors in the fold — midfielder/defender Bailey Madore and defenseman Luci Charest — but her deep junior and sophomore players are all back, with one year of experience playing for Wescott, which led the Greyhounds to an 11-2-1 record last season and the MVC title.

“We are a very balanced team up front, with all four of our leading scorers back, plus our defense is back and a year stronger,” said Wescott, whose squad opens Friday at MVC newcomer Oak Hill. “We don’t have that one standout that will carry us. We have to play as a team and under control. When we are working the ball around, we are a tough team to defend.”

Sophomore forward Arianna Kahler led the Greyhounds with 17 goals last year, and classmates Ali Bubar (defense), Michaela Bedell (midfield), Molly Nicholson (F) and Mia Durgin (MF) join returning juniors Hanna Jordan (F), Olivia Harrington (F), Sierra O’Kane (D), Mariah Breton (D), Bailey Cutler (MF), Jenn Smith (MF), Nichole Jones (everywhere) and Sarah Craig (F).

The one area Wescott is still trying to fill is her goaltender. Freshmen Cassidy Daly and Stevie Charest have looked good in practice.

“They will decide it on the field, with both being good goaltenders,” said Wescott, who also has junior newcomers Cassie Pace (F) and Kia Coffin (MF). “We have worked hard to build up our defense, so hopefully that will reduce the amount of pressure on our young goaltenders.”

Wescott expects her team to battle for MVC supremacy with Winthrop and Spruce Mountain, while she sees Boothbay as an improving team.

“It is tough to tell, considering we don’t know what each team lost and what they have gained, but the MVC will be tough again, something you can guarantee,” concluded Wescott.

Cross country

Assistant coach Jeremy Williams has joined longtime Greyhounds headman Hank Fuller in working with Lisbon runners this season.

Many of the freshman newcomers had success running at Sugg Middle School, and Fuller is excited to see what they can do in high school.

“Both the boys and the girls are the best prospects I have had in my 30 years of coaching,” said Fuller, who lost a ton of talent from last season, including MVC champion Meagan Thomas. “Yes, we are young and inexperienced, and the freshmen mostly ran on a 1.8-mile course compared to what they will see in high school, 3.1- miles, but they know what it takes to win and that is a strength for us.

“This is the first time I have had an assistant in cross country, and Jeremy has been a big help to me and the athletes.”

The girls are led by senior captain Kristen Carter and senior returnee Abigail Roy, while soccer transplants Delaney Ouellette (junior) and Olivia Bulgin (junior) are joined by freshmen Bree Sautter, Adrianna White, Catelyn Bundy, Hannah Berube, Abby Provencal and Ali Lycette.

“The girls won the middle school title last year, and the boys were second,” lamented Fuller, whose runners compete in the Madison High School Bulldog Challenge on Friday after opening in the Cony High School-hosted Laliberte Invitational last week.

On the boys side, senior Ben Kates, junior Neil Smith and sophomore Jeff Wiley are the only returnees, while the newcomers are sophomore Cody Brauneis, and freshmen Nicholas Harriman and Jordan Cole.

“The boys are certainly capable runners, but have no depth,” said Fuller.

As far as making predictions in regards to an MVC title or state championship, Fuller said “we will know where we are coming out of the Festival of Champions at Belfast (Sept. 29). With 65 teams competing there, by that point you hope to be putting everything together and getting ready for the conference, regional and state meets.

“These kids have everything it takes to shine at the end of the season.”