Nothing about Matt Longron's freshman football season prepared him for what he went through the last two years with the Iola Bulldogs.

Longron will enter his senior season as the only player on the Iola roster who played on the Bulldogs team that reached the Class A Division I state semifinals in 2006. Longron was a freshman reserve and special teams player on that team, which finished 9-4.

"We went so far my freshman year, and it's kind of like you get a taste of greatness," Longron said. "You get to experience what that's like. It was an eye-opening experience."

In the two years since then, Iola has had three head coaches, 19 losses and one victory.

Longron hopes this is the season when the Bulldogs return to their winning ways.

"It was really hard to come back [from that playoff season] and lose every week," Longron said. "But you always have that hope that you can do something great at some point. This is coach Roddy [McDougald's] second year back with us and we're pretty excited. The seniors are trying to take charge and help get things going right again."

McDougald was an assistant coach with the Bulldogs in 2006. He stepped away from the football program for one year after Iola officials bypassed him and picked Rick Prater to replace McDougald's brother, Randy, as head coach. The rebuilding Bulldogs went 0-10 in their only season with Prater.

Iola enjoyed consistent success under the McDougald brothers, making nine playoff trips in 17 seasons. The Bulldogs went 13-1 and reached the state semifinals in 1998.

"Coach Roddy was part of that [2006] semifinal team, so we can talk about old times," Longron said. "We have another coach who was a player here back when we were great in the '90s, and we can talk to him about that. It's kind of a motivating tool. We hope it pushes people to try harder to get back."

Longron, 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, plays inside linebacker on defense, where he was an all-district pick last season. On offense, he will start at tight end after playing part-time at fullback and tight end as a junior.

Tight end seemed to fit Longron in the Iola's maroon and white scrimmage, when he made several catches and had a touchdown. Despite the chance to score, Longron prefers playing defense.

"I really like playing linebacker," Longron said. "I like making a big hit, stopping the running game. When you fill up a hole and the running back's eyes get big, that's the really fun part of it."

Coach McDougald chose Longron and fellow senior Trevor Fairbanks to serve as Iola's team captains this season. Three years' experience was one reason for choosing Longron, but there were more.

"One of the reasons I chose him as a one of the captains is he's kind of a natural leader," McDougald said. "The kids like him and he's a hard worker. His work ethic in the weight room is very good, and that goes a long way with me."

Longron welcomes the job.

"It meant a great deal to me having that responsibility put upon me," Longron said. "I would like to get all-district and all that stuff. But as a team captain and a leader, I just hope for my team to do good. If my team's doing good, then I'm doing my job. I want everybody else to succeed."