It wasn’t too long ago that folks in Dexter were wondering whether football would go the way of the dinosaur.

Just two years ago, the undermanned Tigers were mired in an 11-game losing streak and the program was on the brink of extinction.

“We were in the low 20s [player numbers] a couple times and even down in the teens once or twice, so this is definitely an upswing we’re on,” said Dexter coach Harold “Haggie” Pratt. “There seems to be a lot more interest in football by the community now, too.”

Pratt has good reason to be optimistic as his squad numbers in the high 30s this year. Included among those 30-odd players are several multi-faceted veterans upon whose shoulder pads rests the fate of their team.

Senior quarterback Vinnie Greene is back to run the Tigers’ option attack. He is one of four captains on the squad this year whose presence and experience will be crucial to Dexter’s fortunes as the Tigers hope several upper-class rookies can blossom into contributors early.

Greene will also start at cornerback, giving the Tigers a talented and mature defensive backfield along with senior all-conference free safety Kevin Armstrong and junior corner Adam Russell.

Armstrong, a captain who Pratt says “can play just about anywhere,” moves from fullback to halfback on offense while Russell will start at tailback. Senior captain and supremely versatile Aaron Thomas will round out a potentially deep offensive backfield at tailback and fullback, but will also see time at offensive guard and start at outside linebacker.

Another player moving into a new position is junior captain Aaron Vafiades, a great athlete and the strongest player on the team, according to Pratt. Vafiades moves from tackle to fullback on offense, but he returns to anchor the 4-4 defense at his familiar inside linebacker spot.

Although Pratt has four returning starters from last season’s offensive line, only two of them will return to the line and none will play the same position. Along with Vafiades going to the backfield and Thomas bouncing between the line and backfield, Duane Currier moves from guard to center, and Josh Bishop moves from guard to tight end.

“The kids said Josh had great hands, so I let him play in a JV game and he caught everything in sight, so I said, ‘There’s my starting tight end next year,'” Pratt said.

Another player who could help fill a big void in the receiving corps is senior Dustin Paige, who transferred last year from Nokomis of Newport, which doesn’t have football. The 6-foot-7 Paige will be an inviting target at wide receiver.

If the rookies like Paige learn quickly, the Tigers could surprise some teams.

“We have good athleticism, versatility, and speed,” Pratt said. “With our depth, we’ll need to keep kids well-conditioned and healthy. And we’re going to have to play good defense to contend this year.”

DEXTER TIGERS

2000 results: 3-6, seventh in LTC Class C

Head coach: Harold “Haggie” Pratt, 8th year

Key players: Vinnie Greene, QB-CB, Sr.; Aaron Vafiades, FB-LB, Jr.; Aaron Thomas, RB-G-LB, Sr.; Kevin Armstrong, HB-FS, Sr.; Adam Russell, TB-CB, Jr.; Josh Bishop, TE-DL, Sr.

Outlook: The Tigers lost half their defensive and half their offensive starters to graduation, but feature a solid group of returning veterans who should provide plenty of leadership. Dexter is also blessed with athleticism and versatility, which will come in handy as the Tigers do not feature much depth past the top 15 players.