Mahar Senators; 2008: 8-3 (6-2 Western Mass. Intercounty League).

Byline: Jim Wilson

Home field: Mahar Regional Field. Turf field, 507 South Main St., Orange.

Brain trust: Coach: Jim Woodward. Assistants: Greg Scotland, Joe Kenney, Jamie Paluk, Chris Bailey and Lenny Crossman.

Returning starters: 9 (5 offense, 4 defense).

Captains: TE Nick Adams, RB Brian Beauchemin, FB Tim Chandler, G Tom Powell.

Top players: Adams, Beauchemin (105 carries, 1,037 yards, 14 TDs), Chandler, Powell, RB Isaiah Jones (103 carries, 1,009 yards, 11 TDs).

Out with the old: The Senators graduated QB Ben Goody (69 of 143, 1,423 yards).

In with the new: OT Will Anderson, RB Trent George.

When the Senators have the ball: Multiple spread offense. ... The squad returns a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Beauchemin and Jones. ... Nick Adams and Tyriq Rochester also will make the offense go.

When their opponents have the ball: 4-4 defense. ... Powell will lead the DL. George, David Burnham and Ryan Matthews will help out.

In the trenches: The line will be led by the 6-foot-2, 264-pound Anderson and the 6-3, 241-pound Powell. ... David Burnham (6-0, 189), Patrick Donelan (6-1, 200) and Joel Colburn (6-0, 220) will contribute.

Ones to watch: Beauchemin and Jones. How good were these guys last year for the Senators? Beauchemin averaged 9.9 yards per carry. Jones? He averaged 9.8. That's not one, but two running backs that gave the team a first down practically every time they touched the ball. Both should be even better this year - especially if Mahar can find a quarterback to keep teams from keying on the run.

The quote: "If we can stay healthy, we should be competitive. Our running game will be very solid, and if our QB matures quickly, we will be OK," Woodward said. "On defense, we feel we will be solid with our linebacking corps being our strong point."

Schedule:

Sept. 18 ... Dean Tech, 7

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