ARDMORE TIGERS LOOKING TO BUILD ON LAST SEASON

ARDMORE— Shannon Brown is optimistic about what's on the verge of happening at Ardmore.

Since taking over the Tiger football team three seasons ago, he's been working to restore the program back to what it once was in the late 1950s and early '60s when they had four unbeaten seasons. Last year  certainly proved to be a step in the right direction.

After starting the year 0-4, Ardmore won four straight, falling just short of earning a postseason appearance. Now, Brown and his players are using that as a stepping stone as they prepare for the 2011 season.

"The most important thing is we need to build on the positive things we were able to accomplish last year," Brown said. "Definitely drilling off four games in a row was huge for us after starting 0-4. That says a lot about the integrity of the boys and their work ethic, and I've seen that carry on into the offseason, as well as this summer."

Gone are the productive duo of J. Tribble and Matt Teeples who led the Tigers' offense a year ago. Battling to replace Tribble at quarterback are Tyler Scoggins and Garett Miller. Gavin Calder is expected to carry a lot of the Tigers load offensively. Hunter Pack and Matt Edwards return on the offensive line.

Daniel McNeese and Jacob Petritsch are the Tigers two returning players on defense.

"We don't have a whole lot of returning starters, but we have a lot of guys coming back who had significant playing time," Brown said. "So we're looking forward to building on that and trying to continue the process of building the program back. It's going to take time, and it's going to take patience, but I do like the way the work ethic and the commitment of the community are trying to chance that perception of Ardmore football."

While Brown's process may still  be an upward battle, he feels things are moving the right way.

"We're still climbing the hill, but we're not sliding down it," he said. "There's still going to be bumps in the road. Our numbers are low, but they're low because we have guys that want to  be in the program, those that have made that sacrifice and commitment. That's what it’s all about. That's what we need for us to continue to go forward and grow and get this program to where it can be."

Ardmore opens the season Friday at Elkmont.