LEWISTON — A moving chess piece in football is usually reserved for an offensive skill position player. One that can play running back, wide receiver or quarterback all within the span of a few plays.

But the Lewiston High School football team has a different kind of chess piece of sorts: senior lineman Keyshawn Green.

“I’m most comfortable playing wherever Coach puts me,” Green said. “So it doesn’t really matter to me where I play, I just like to play football. That’s for coaches to decide.”

Green says in his football career he’s played every position on the offensive line, and in his younger days he also spent time at fullback and running back. On defense, he’s played everywhere in the front seven, from defensive tackle and defensive end, to inside linebacker and outside linebacker.

Green hasn’t even had one set position this season for the Blue Devils. But heading into the regular-season finale against rival Edward Little, he is slotted as the team’s starting right guard. On defense he starts at left defensive end, but is sometimes asked to move to defensive tackle on certain plays.

“He is very versatile. On offense, we have him at guard, but we trap with him, we pull with him,” Lewiston coach Bruce Nicholas said. “Defensively is where he’s probably a little more versatile. We play him at defensive end sometimes. Then if we want to go a little quicker, we put a defensive end in for him and move him to tackle, because he’s a quick defensive tackle.”

Green said the offensive line has been playing musical chairs all season. But he hopes that has come to an end heading into the last game of the regular season and then the playoffs.

“The first few weeks it was a little mix-and-match, trying to figure out what’s going on, with people getting nicked and a couple injuries,” Green said. “We’ve really settled into the five that we have right now, as far as the continuity. We’re really trying to build a great rapport between us five.”

That five includes senior left tackle Vincent Oden, senior left guard Nate Osgood, junior center Keegan Voss, Green and senior right tackle Jared Rubin.

“It took a while to put it all together,” Nicholas said. “Our starting tackle was the center. The guy who was a tackle is now the center. And so we’ve had to mix the pieces around to put our best line together, but I think we’re finally coming together there. Every week, it’s putting the puzzle back together, but Keyshawn’s been there all the way through.”

Green first broke into the starting lineup as a sophomore. He was the sixth offensive lineman but moved into the starting lineup when a teammate went down with an injury. He’s been a mainstay ever since.

“I really have a young line, even though I have a bunch of seniors there, but he’s definitely a leader there,” Nicholas said. “He’s a very quiet leader. And when he opens his mouth, people listen. He doesn’t open it that often.

“When he talks, people listen.”

Maybe Green is just saving his voice for singing, which Nicholas said Green is also a standout at.

“He’s part of a musical group,” Nicholas said. “You wouldn’t think a big, strong lineman would be (doing that). I’ve got a couple of them, they’re into music and chorus, and they sing pretty well. So he’s a pretty versatile kid.”

Green has had to learn to be versatile in his techniques, as well, this year. Nicholas implemented a new offensive scheme this season, then had to adjust that just a couple weeks into the season when he realized the new scheme wasn’t going to be effective.

“It was very different,” Green said. “Just playing offensive line, the steps were different from previous years with the zone-blocking scheme that we had for some of our formations, some of our plays.

“I think probably a couple weeks into the season, maybe week two or three, it really started to settle in. The thing about zone schemes is that it’s more working with the linemen, trying to get a feel for how everyone else reacts. If I’m blocking next to Nate, it’s going to be different than if I’m blocking next to Vincent.”

Nicholas said he has a smart line, which has allowed the Blue Devils to make all the changes that they have.

“We need to be a little more physical,” Nicholas said. “Keyshawn is the most physical one there. We pounded it a little bit last Friday night (against Massabesic). I think we learned that we got to deliver the punch. We can’t just let it come to us.”

The Blue Devils will have their work cut out for them against an aggressive Edward Little defensive front. But Nicholas said the line got a preview of that last week when Massabesic “sent the whole house.”

The offensive line will be leaning on its veteran 250-pound lineman, who Nicholas said “will give everything he has Friday night.”

“I’m so excited for it. I can’t wait,” Green said. “It’s something special. There’s nothing like playing against our rival. You’re always up to it, no matter how you feel, how the week’s been.”

wkramlich@sunjournal.com