Beth-Center reached the playoffs 16 consecutive years from 2003-2018. With an all-time winning percentage of .580 in 657 games and a WPIAL title in 1975, winning has been a standard for the Bulldogs since 1958.
Nevertheless, 2018 was their most recent playoff appearance.
Having lost only three seniors to graduation, the Bulldogs return 20 out of 22 starters from last season. Although the team went 1-8, the Bulldogs understand the winning culture and are hungry to turn things around.
Coach Tim Trump played at Beth-Center and has coached in the district for more than 20 years. He now takes over and sees the team's passion.
"They want to win," Trump said. "That's the bottom line. They want to win. They hate to lose, so they're motivated. They don't care about their stats. They care about winning. I show them the tradition of Beth-Center because we've always been traditionally a very good school when it comes to football."
Trump said they've bought in already.
"All these kids, their dads played," Trump said. "They played here in the '90s and built that tradition. They feed into it with them."
Senior Cyncere Cruse sees the dedication in the team.
"Normally, we don't really have that many kids during summer practice, but everybody's been there," Cruse said. "We are putting in blood, sweat and tears. "We're just really dedicated, working real hard over the summer."
Trump is sure the Bulldogs will bounce back after last season. He mentioned the team's freshmen and sophomores weren't used to losing as they were successful in middle school football.
"Kids are bigger, stronger and faster in high school," Trump said. "Last year, there were 14-year-old people going against 18-year-olds. Now that they are a year older, they've dedicated time to the weight room, where they know they need the strength. We had growing pains, and I expect them to have some struggles because of the inexperience and knowledge of the game that you need, but I think that they'll be very competitive."
The Bulldogs will feature a hefty ground attack with five running backs. Cruse, senior Teagan Veatch, sophomore Enzo Brown, junior Homer Headlee and sophomore Desean Whipkey will power the running attack.
"You can expect to just see smashmouth football from us," Veatch said. "All of our backs have gotten stronger and even more comfortable in the backfield. Our vision is becoming clearer even as practices go on. Our running back coaches are doing a phenomenal job of getting us to see ahead and where we need to be, so I'm excited."
Veatch led the team with 510 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Whipkey finished with 476 yards and nine touchdowns.
Trump said Headlee, who posted 121 yards and a touchdown last season, developed his body over the offseason.
Brown and Cruse got touches last season but will get even more this season as Trump sees improvement with both players.
"This year, the spectrum is a little bit bigger," Trump said. "I'm trying to balance everything out with five running backs. It's a tricky situation to balance everything out. Our coaching staff sees they care about winning. It could be Enzo Brown that could have a 100-yard game or Homer Headlee and the kids don't care, as long as the results come into a win."
Veatch added that they will keep defenses on their toes as they rotate and that they'll have a better outlook on offense with the rotation.
Cruse and Veatch are the only two seniors on the roster. Brown is the nephew of Fred Pagac, the former defensive coordinator at Ohio State and linebackers coach for numerous NFL teams.
The Bulldogs will run behind a young, big line with juniors Brody Bebout and Dominic Minucci and sophomores Blake Stopko, Wes Boubout and Luciano Ruscitto, a center.
"The line is honestly looking solid," Veatch said. "Our line coaches are doing a great job on holding our line accountable for their mistakes and recognizing the good they do. Our line has really improved, even just from last year to this year. Being a young team has its ups and downs."
Junior Chase Bebout returns as the starter at quarterback. His lead receiver will be junior Danny Duncan. Trump and Cruse said they are both a step better from last year.
As for young team leaders, Trump expects big things from Brown and Whipkey. He mentioned they are leaders on both sides of the ball and will play a big role in a run-heavy offense.
The Bulldogs have six juniors and 11 sophomores. The defense will be young, but more motivated than ever.
"We have some young defensive players, but they've all been playing their whole life, pretty much," Cruse said. "They know what it takes and what comes out of it. Our defense is pretty dedicated. We are much faster. We shouldn't let up that many points."
Cruse said experience is key.
"Most of the kids on both sides of the ball at least played last year, so they know what the competition is," Cruse said. "They will know what to expect. They have to come out firing against other teams, and we are just going to keep hitting them and hitting them."
Veatch and Cruse want to lead this young group and show them what it's like to play for Beth-Center.
"Cere and I's leadership, I feel like, has been pretty good," Veatch said. "We treat everyone with respect and pick people up when they're struggling. We have a young team, so there's gonna be errors."
Despite the youth, the Bulldogs have two things in their favor: grit and competitiveness.
"Even if we're losing, we don't put our head down until that last whistle blows," Cruse said. "We'll just keep playing smashmouth football and pick each other up. We love to help each other out."
Trump added that the players don't care about being "the man." They care about wins.
He is glad that he gets to not only coach them but help them in life. He was in their shoes before.
"I always wanted to be at Beth-Center," Trump said. "That was where my heart was. Even if I had a game on Saturday nights at Waynesburg, I would be at the game the night before.
"I know what the tradition is and as a kid, I saw the tradition that started back with Billy Connors, and so you just gotta keep building on that, and the whole town's team," Trump added. "I had the kids being more involved in the community, so keeping the tradition means a lot to me."
Trump said this team is ready to carry out the tradition. The Bulldogs are ready to bark up the right tree.
"We are going to be a lot more competitive," Trump said. "I believe we will fight for a playoff spot. I know we will have growing pains. There will be a wall, but we will break it and when we do look out. ... These kids have a winning attitude."
* Beth-Center has had three head coaches with more than 100 wins: Ed Woods, Don Bartolomucci and Bill Connors.
* Cynsere Cruse has a goal to be the first person in his family to attend college.
* Beth-Center won its first WPIAL title in 1975.
* Fred Pagac and Joe Righetti were alums of Beth-Center who played in the NFL