Gunnar Winslow enters his senior season at Edward Little as one of two returning starters on the offensive line. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Edward Little heads into the realigned Class A with optimism despite losing a number of key contributors from last year’s squad that reached the Class A North semifinals.

The most notable loss was quarterback Leighton Girardin, who made big plays in the passing and running games and had a flair for the dramatic. Junior Aiden Charest and sophomore Jack Keefe battled in preseason to replace him, with Charest holding the edge for the starting nod at press time, according to coach Dave Sterling, who added he will find a way to get Keefe on the field regularly even if it’s not under center.

Sterling has a lot of vacancies to fill at the other skill positions, but his options got better with a number of members of the basketball team joining the ranks. Seniors Storm Jipson and Cam Yorke are big, athletic targets in the slot, and 6-foot-6 sophomore John Shea is available at tight end.

Three-fifths of the rest of the line graduated, but they have two good building blocks to start with in all-conference center Tony Fournier and three-year left tackle Gunnar Winslow.

The Red Eddies have to face favorites Thornton Academy, Scarborough and Bonny Eagle on the road, but faced many of the Portland-area Class A teams in summer 7-on-7 sessions and performed well. Securing a playoff spot and peaking at the end of the season would be a good step forward.