Coming off back-to-back Class A state championships in Maine, expectations have to be high for the Lewiston High School Blue Devils. Despite the success it has enjoyed in recent times, this year’s Lewiston team is looking to form its own identity.
"We want to start fresh and turn the page," Blue Devils head coach Jamie Belleau said. "It’s a different group of kids and every team is different. You have to use the first few weeks to decide who is going to make the team, what we need to work on and have the guys work with the coaches. We want to put them in roles where they’ll be successful. As for the success for the program, it’s there. You can’t ignore it. As a coach, you use it to motivate the kids and you can build upon it by letting the kids know what they need to do to be successful."
Lewiston was hit hard with some losses. Not only did it graduate seven seniors, but the team lost an additional three more players to prep schools. Although that is certainly not an ideal situation, the team has some young talent it will rely on and expects to fill in the voids and keep the team competitive. After all, last year’s JV team beat the Brewer varsity team in a scrimmage. Brewer, a Class B team, finished its season 10-4-1. The Blue Devils’ JV team also used more than four lines of forwards, so depth was an asset there.
