Spruce Mountain’s Jack Bryant gets taken down by Mountain Valley’s Keegan Davis in Livermore Falls last season. Bryant is back for for a second season as the Phoenix’s starting quarterback. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Quite a few football programs would happily accept three consecutive regular seasons with a 5-3 record, as Spruce Mountain has posted since 2016. But the Phoenix would just as soon improve upon last year’s performance, particularly with the void at the top opened by Wells’ move to Class C.

Senior quarterback Jack Bryant excelled in his first season running the spread offense, helping the Phoenix post the second-most points in the league (257), trailing only Wells. Brandon Frey has augmented his outstanding speed with more bulk, which will allow him to take snaps at a variety of positions to take advantage of his big-play ability.

Bryson Bailey is the only returning full-time starter on the line, but Colby Diaz and Evan Dow saw considerable playing time last year.

Coach David Frey would welcome a few less shootouts to take the pressure off of his offense, so the Phoenix have simplified the defensive scheme to let their athletes play rather than over-think coverages and assignments. An improved defense could make them one of the top contenders in D South.