They’re earning nicknames like Salsa, The Bod and Swag. The numbers are up and so are the spirits with the Warren Central High School football team.

“If you’ve got a nickname, something good happens,” second-year coach Joel Taylor said.

That Taylor’s name alone can be prefaced with an additional season is grounds for stability considering he was named the Dragons’ fourth head football coach in four seasons last year.

An offseason of weight training and spring football practice capped by a Blue and White Game at Dragon Stadium on Saturday fully displayed that indeed something good is happening on Morgantown Road.

“The kids have been competing and that’s the thing I’ve been most happy with in the spring is our competition,” Taylor said. “It’s fantastic. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with these kids. They’re great young men and we’re going to try to get the best out of them and go from there. It’s been fun this spring for sure.”

Just weeks before the regular season started last August, the Dragons fielded only 20 students to compete for varsity positions. The result was a forgettable 0-10 season that mostly featured a running clock by halftime. Warren Central scored double digits just twice last year and the Dragons were held off the scoreboard in four games.

Taylor sees all that changing.

The Dragons had just over 30 participants suited up for their spring game Saturday and finally have an offseason under the same regime.

The coach noted the offensive line as the biggest position improvement. With the majority of skill position players participating in track and a handful playing baseball, the focus has been on bulking up the offensive line.

Since the Dragons had just five seniors last year, most of those returning had plenty of varsity experience last year. Grayson Reed, Josh Solito, Tyus Parker and Dylan Roddy were mentioned as linemen who have stepped up this offseason.

Defensively, the Dragons can only improve after allowing 50 points per game last year. They lose their top two tacklers from last year in Weston Allen and Xavion Rigsby to graduation. Taylor said that the linebacking corps “is one we’re not set on yet” and basic tackling needs improving.

From the skill position, DJ Tyner returns after making up pretty much the entire Dragons’ offense last year. As a junior, Tyner had 481 of the team’s 542 rushing yards and four of the team’s six rushing touchdowns.

He and Xavier Patrick-Brown will battle for the quarterback spot, although Taylor said both players will be on the field for most every offensive snap.

“We’ve got some kids that can make plays and we’re excited about what we can potentially do this year,” Taylor said. “We’re going to put as many athletic kids out there as we can in those skill spots as playmakers and we want to open it up and see what we can do with the kids we have. I think we’re going to try to make this as exciting an offense and fun an offense as we can.”{&end}