KENMORE — Kenmore West juniors Marcus Lobdell and Martin Bailey line up in the Blue Devils’ backfield with a brotherly love-like mentality.

If you try to stop one, be ready to be challenged by the other.

As it turned out last Friday night at North Tonawanda, that’s no small task.

Bailey and Lobdell tag-teamed the defending state champs with five touchdowns and nearly 300 yards combined in a 30-22 upset of the Lumberjacks.

“We’re both dangerous. Try and stop one of us, the other one is gone,” said Lobdell, who completed four passes for 131 yards and a score, while tacking on 46 yards and a touchdown with his legs. “I think we’re really comfortable with each other. I think all the time we spend together, I think it makes for a close bond.”

Before the highly touted Week 1 contest, Ken West head coach Rich Harris knew he had a special bunch.

“I’m a little biased,” the coach said, “I was really looking forward to see them come out and play their first game [this season]. I expect them to do great things.”

It didn’t take long into the 2010 slate for onlookers to agree.

“They showed they both have breakaway speed last Friday,” Harris said.

As sophomores, Lobdell and Bailey displayed glimpses of greatness. After a diligent offseason, the two are set to emerge as some of the most potent weapons in Section VI.

“They were both sophomores last year and they were both great for me, but how do you tout them as being that level as a player coming off a sophomore year,” Harris said. “But I knew they were great players.”

Bailey admitted he was unsure of his Blue Devils’ true potential going into Week 1.

“We thought we were going to be OK, but some of us, we thought we were going to be the team that went out and hit people,” said Bailey, who amassed 114 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, adding one in the air as well against NT. “If we beat the Falls, we’re going to be a really good team.”

Bailey and Lobdell, listed at 5-foot-8, 161 pounds and 5-foot-11 162 pounds, respectively, have excellent speed and deceptive strength.

But behind a physical offensive front that averages more than 240 pounds, both acknowledge the bruisers up front for giving them room to separate in the open field.

“It definitely takes 11 players to do what we do,” Lobdell said. “You can’t win a game with just two people. I know we’re getting a lot of credit, but the line definitely helps out during games and it definitely makes us more comfortable back there.”

Although the big victory in the opener has garnered a bright spotlight, Lobdell said his squad has remained focused.

“We definitely don’t have a big head about beating NT at all,” he said. “We come out here, we’re still working hard and everyone has a level head on our shoulders. We’ll be coming out just as hard as we did last week.”

The Blue Devils and their dangerous duo visit the Wolverines on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

Contact sports editor Brandon Koch at 693-1000, ext. 117.