Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

By BILL STEWART, Kennebec Journal Thursday, November 15, 2012

It´s often said that numbers don´t lie, but they do when it comes to Mt. Blue senior center Drew Blanchet.

"On paper I´m listed at 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds," he said. "I´m actually 2 inches shorter than that and I´m right around 145 pounds."

Blanchet knows he won´t overwhelm anybody on a football field because he doesn´t fit the mold of a prototypical center.

Against a defensive lineman, it´s never a question of whether he´ll be outsized but by how much.

"I snap with two hands in the shotgun and under center because my hands are so small," Blanchet said. "It´s funny, when I go back and watch film I can barely see myself in the game. I know I´m there but I have to look closely. It´s tough to see me in the game sometimes."

But it´s easy to measure his impact, Coach Gary Parlin said .

"We hoped he´d be good but he´s far outweighed expectations," Parlin said. "He had one bad snap all year. He´s been pretty much dead-on, which is the No. 1 thing. But for him to be able to block guys who are more than twice his size? He´s a pretty remarkable kid.

"He and the whole offensive line are a big reason we´re where we are. We knew we had the skill position guys but we had questions on the line."

After 11 consecutive wins and a trip to the Class B state title game, those questions are no longer asked. Mt. Blue (11-0) will play Marshwood (10-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

The Cougars will play in their first state title game since losing to Bonny Eagle 41-13 in the 2005 Class A final. Marshwood last played for a state title in 1989, when it beat Skowhegan 26-14 to win Class A.

Mt. Blue entered the Eastern Class B season as a threat to dethrone Leavitt, the three-time defending champion. The Cougars had an elite quarterback, Jordan Whitney, and a stout defense, led by linebacker Chad Luker and end Zak Kendall.

What they didn´t have was an experienced offensive line. The Cougars returned just one starter -- senior tackle Eli Luker.

"The rest of those guys either had no varsity experience or played a few mop-up games," said Parlin. "We didn´t really knew what to expect there.

Added Whitney, who is one of Blanchet´s closest friends: "The line, they came in and they were so young. I didn´t know what would happen with them."

It didn´t take long to find out.

Tackle Colin Richards and Kendall, a tight end, provided size and strength. Guards Tyler Sennick and Connor Farrington became key contributors.

"Offensively, I never really expected to become as good as we are, as I am," Farrington said. "We are a lot of first-year starters and we´re getting the job done. It´s been wicked fun. We´re enjoying the ride while it lasts and hopefully we can end it on a good note."

And then there´s Blanchet, who quietly developed into one of the best centers in Eastern Class B.

How can someone so small play a position in which size is often paramount to success?

"My speed makes up for it," Blanchet said. "I block on all fours. I get on my hands and feet and just Cougar-crawl into the thigh pad area. It seems to work. I don´t have a lot of varsity playing time but that can be a good thing, too. It makes you all the more focused."

In an Oct. 5 game at Leavitt, Blanchet was lined up against 6-foot-7, 300-pound defensive tackle Matt Powell for much of that game.

"The first play of the game I was actually kind of nervous," Blanchet said. "I didn´t go 100 percent that first play and he beat me. I thought, ´I can´t be doing this.´ So I went all out the rest of the game and the rest of the season."

The Cougars prevailed, 20-12.