Brighter days are ahead for Warren Central.

From the outside looking in, the only way to know when that day comes is if the Dragons come close to or even win a football game.

Second-year coach Joel Taylor sees those days happening right now with energy and participation on a steady climb following a winless season.

A second straight season under the coach who was hired as the fourth in four years is grounds for enough stability for a program that lost just four seniors in 2016. Taylor sees the bright days in the present, but he isn’t judging that under the umbrella of strictly winning football games.

“What our record ends up being? I don’t know,” Taylor said. “But if we continue to improve and compete, we’ll give ourselves the best chance we can have.

“We can’t be someone else or control things that aren’t in our control, so just control what we can control with our effort, attitude and execution and see if we can make something positive happen.”

This time last year, Taylor was working with 20 to 25 players to field a team in Class 4A, District 2. Last week before kickoff, the Dragons had nearly 40 players practicing. The senior class is still light – nine to be exact – but juniors and underclassmen are ready to put the program on the right track.

Part of shifting the course has been simple effort. Junior lineman Josh Salcido transferred from Portland (Tenn.), and teamed up with fellow junior Tyus Parker in the weight room and brought a contagious attitude in the spring and summer, Taylor said. The coach believes the offensive line is the single-biggest area of improvement of any position group.

“Since I first came here, none of (the players) had a work ethic,” Salcido said. “Since then we’ve been in the weight room and getting back in the groove. We’ve brought a couple of new guys in from the school who didn’t want to play (in the past).”

Offensively, Warren Central returns senior quarterback DJ Tyner, who may run just as much as he throws. He’ll already have a year of on-field chemistry with juniors Jamale Barber, Xavier Patrick-Brown and Kaleb Metcalfe. They’ll try to improve the Dragons’ offense that scored just 56 points with four shutouts last season.

“That helps a bunch,” Metcalfe said. “It keeps all of us together. We’re 100 percent better. We’ve already seen better days in practice. It’s a lot more intense than it was last year. … We weren’t as close together last year as we are this year. We all have a bunch of heart and we’re a team now.”

The biggest change on offense is moving 6-foot-4, 250-pound senior Nedim Begic from offensive tackle to tight end, which offers not only experience as an additional blocker, but gives the Dragons an obviously bigger target in the passing game.

On defense, Taylor likes his depth at linebacker between Patrick-Brown, Jaydale Odedina, Dylan King, De’Corion Rigsby and Marlon Scott-Coleman as the fifth option.

Parker, Salcido, Tyler Spencer and Grayson Reed bring a consistent size and speed to the defensive line Taylor likes as well. Like the lack of offensive production, that defense has its own hill to climb after giving up 50 points per game last season.

“It gives us the ability to bring in speed and flexibility in the game plan,” Taylor said. “If (Rigsby) and King make tackles, our defense is going to be pretty good.”

Warren Central’s schedule doesn’t get any easier even if South Warren has moved up to Class 5A – the Dragons have the Spartans and another 5A opponent to start the season.

Warren Central will host Greenwood to open the year Friday before playing the Spartans at Houchens-Smith Stadium at Western Kentucky University in the inaugural Citizens First Bowl on Aug. 26.

Those first two opponents for Warren Central each won nine games last year. For the Dragons to even think about one win at this point, Taylor believes his team must continue to fight for consistency in that process.

“There are times when we play solid football, but it can’t be four or five plays in a row and then turn it over or give up a touchdown,” Taylor said. “It’s got to continue to be consistent and you’ve got to demand that of yourself and your teammates. Really, being accountable and consistent is what we’re working on now.

“The players are really trying to buy into that and the seniors are working hard. It’s been a good run for them. You want to be rewarded with a win – that’s obvious – but again, you’ve got young kids and you have to continue to praise the competitiveness.”

Warren Central 2017 schedule

8/18 – Greenwood

8/26 – South Warren (at WKU)

9/1 – Monroe County

9/8 – at John Hardin

9/15 – at Bowling Green

9/22 – at Central Hardin

9/29 – Warren East

10/13 – at Franklin-Simpson

10/20 – Allen County-Scottsville

10/27 – Meade County