At the end the 2006 season, Madison football coach Joe Hayden had 17 total players on his team roster and only 14 of them were in uniform.

The Bulldogs lived up to their nickname and gutted out a tough 1-8 season despite exceptionally low player numbers.

Not a lot of reason for optimism after a season like that, right? Wrong, according to Hayden.

“I like the direction the program is heading and I’m looking forward to having a good season,” he said. “Things seem to be on an upward swing.”

The numbers haven’t surged dramatically upward, but there are 25 players out for the team this year and seven of them are seniors. Six of them are three-year starters.

Also, the Bulldogs return nine starters on offense and defense.

“I think we’ll be a little stronger than we were last year, both in numbers and experience,” said Hayden.

Oh, there’s more. The middle school program switched from being open to eighth- and ninth-graders to seventh- and eighth-graders, and 27 youths are donning pads this year.

Despite all the good news, the new season has brought along a new obstacle – a lack of double sessions.

“We went to one-a-days to accommodate kids who work and have other activities going on,” he said. “It’s frustrating for us as coaches, even though the kids have been great.

“We have a lot of kids returning with experience, so maybe it’s not that bad for us, but it really is compacting a lot of preseason into a very small amount of time.”

Madison returns plenty of experience and speed on both sides of the ball, but there are a few areas of concern.

Up front on offense, there’s a hole at center and one of the tackle spots on offense. Junior Jake Linkletter slides over to center from tackle, and sophomore Dan Madsen steps in at tackle. The line’s overall size is solid, averaging about 200 pounds per blocker.

The Bulldogs also have a hole at middle linebacker, where a sophomore will be plugged into the “50” (five-man front) defense.

“He’s going to take his lumps, but hopefully we won’t have to make a change and he’ll grow up as he goes,” Hayden said.

Strengths include quarterback Matt Brown, a senior tri-captain who will be allowed to open things up more this season out of Madison’s option-based veer offense.

“We’ll take the restraints off him a little this year,” Hayden said. “Toward the end of last season, he was a lot more comfortable making reads. He’s one of our fastest kids too, and a good runner.”

After winning just one game last year, many would think it a stretch to think playoffs this year, but not Hayden.

“I think anything’s possible as long as we stay healthy and with two of our first three games on the road against Old Orchard Beach and Lisbon, we’ll find out a lot about ourselves early on,” he said. “Our first goal is to get to .500 and then take it from there.”

MADISON BULLDOGS

2006 results: 1-8

Head coach: Joe Hayden, 4th year

Key players: Matt Brown, QB-FS, Sr.; Nick Ellis, OT-DT, Sr.; Ben Spaulding, HB-LB, Sr.; Josh Paine, TE-DE, Sr.; Andy Olafson, WR-DE, Sr.; Steve Kirkwood, HB-FB-NG, Sr.; George McClean, OG-LB, Sr.; Sam Perkins, HB-CB, Jr.; Jake Linkletter, C-DT, Jr.; Nico Barney, OG-DE, Jr.

Outlook: Several familiar faces will be in new places this season, with Linkletter moving from tackle to center, Olafson going from halfback to receiver, and other players at least working out at other positions – just in case. Versatility and durability are key even with increased numbers as depth is still a major concern.