The 2016 Boothbay Region football team has completed two weeks of pre-season, one scrimmage and is ready for the new club season to commence. The Seahawks begin their five-game club season with back-to-back games against Camden Hills. The season opener is at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Camden. The same two teams play under the lights at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 at Sherman Field.

This is  the team’s first season playing as a club sport. But the Seahawk players anticipate a memorable and successful 2016 season. Senior lineman Michael Ripley is looking forward to playing one final season with his teammates he began playing with in the second grade. Senior linebacker and captain Carter Babcock is anxious for the season’s start to make a big hit on an unsuspecting ball carrier.

And senior Seahawk quarterback Duncan Drapeau is most excited about playing the game he loves under the lights.

“Friday night lights. It’s a whole different experience,” Drapeau said. “It’s a feeling you don’t have playing any other high school sport. When I’m a guy in my twenties thinking back about high school, I will definitely remember how special Friday night football was.”

This will be Drapeau’s second full season as the Seahawks’ quarterback. Drapeau has thrown the ball well in practice and continues to develop as a runner, according to Boothbay coach Bryan Dionne. But Drapeau’s strength lies in his superior mental approach to the game.

“He always knows where to be and where everyone else should be,” Dionne said. “He is also really good at ball deception and his footwork is exceptional which is something as a coach I can really appreciate.”

When Drapeau is not passing or running the ball himself, he has five Seahawk runners in his backfield ready to tote the rock. Halfback Draco Peaslee and fullback Carter Babcock are returning seniors who have started the past two seasons. Dionne expects the two, along with running backs Brandon Andrews, Zach Blackman and Bryan Otero, to carry the ball a lot this season.

The Seahawks’ running game may depend upon how a new offensive line performs. Two offensive line starters from last year are playing new positions. Last year’s center, Ripley, is moving to left guard and junior Jacob Wilson who played guard is now the right tackle.

The other three offensive line positions required Dionne to ask some former running backs and a quarterback to play a new position. Junior Cam Crocker played quarterback last season, but will be the line’s starting center.

Dionne chose Crocker to play center due to his experience as a wrestler. Crocker qualified for the Class B State tournament in the 182-pound division. Dionne also described him as being a big and strong player in the middle of the line.

“He’s a good athlete and possesses the necessary ball skills for snapping both under center and in the shotgun. As a wrestler, he has excellent footwork and he has a great attitude. So he’s a good fit at center.”

In the team’s Aug. 22 scrimmage against Freeport, Dionne said the Seahawk running game and defense showed promise.

“Early in the season I’m looking for guys who want to block, tackle and hit. I’m trying to find out who our football players are,” said Dionne. “What I found was we have a lot of guys who want to play football this year.”

On defense, the Seahawks will be led by returning linebackers Babcock and Jeremy Holbrook. Dionne credited Babcock’s play for enabling the team to win twice in the last three games to earn a Class D South playoff spot. The Seahawks upset Campbell Conference Winthrop/Monmouth to finish seventh in last year’s Heal point standings. Dionne said Carter played a crucial role in the team’s victory over Winthrop/Monmouth.

“He was a big part of our success late last year. Carter listens to the coaches and he reads the offense and did a nice job diagnosing the plays and swarming to the ball,” Dionne said.

Holbrook is another linebacker who makes big plays. Dionne knows what opposing coaches think about Holbrook’s play by listening to their instructions following a running play for negative yards.

“They call out ‘hey somebody block that guy’ and point at Jeremy,” he said.

Dionne expects to play against a well-coached Camden Hills team during the first two games of the season. The Windjammers are led by former Division I college coach Archie Stalcup. He was an assistant at LaSalle University in Philadelphia before becoming the school’s head football coach.