The Clarkdale football team enters the 2019 season with optimism.

The Bulldogs managed just two wins a year ago, but an increase in participation, coupled with realignment, has the players believing there might be a chance at a divisional championship this fall. While MHSAA Region 5-3A isn’t going to be a cakewalk, it also doesn’t contain the murder’s row of Bay Springs and Taylorsville that Clarkdale faced every year in Region 5-2A before reclassification moved the Bulldogs up to Class 3A.

On Friday, Clarkdale opens its season against Class 1A Sebastopol, and head coach Jason Soules said he likes what he’s seen ever since summer workouts ended.

“Fall camp has been going really well,” Soules said. “We have great attendance. We have over 50 players, which is the biggest team Clarkdale has had in a long time, so we’re really excited about it. All the kids have had great practices. This is our first year in 3A, so it’s a new challenge, but I think we’re up to the challenge. Sebastopol is going to be a good opponent in Week 1, so we’re just loaded up and ready to go.”

Senior wingback/cornerback Kodee Conner said he’s excited to play his final season of high school football against a 3A slate.

“I think it’ll be a great opportunity for the team,” Conner said. “I think we’ll have a chance to go pretty far. We’re further along and more developed (than this time last year), and everyone responds better to criticism and is more coachable. Everyone feels like we have a chance this year in district.”

Moving up to 3A meant Clarkdale had an overall increase in enrollment to meet the 3A threshold, and Soules said that’s showing itself in the sizes of this year’s ninth- and 10th-grade classes.

“We had a huge ninth-grade class coming up, and we have a big class that’s going to be sophomores this year,” Soules explained. “We graduated a small senior class last year, and we only have seven seniors this year and eight juniors, so the base of our team is young. We’re really happy with the growth of these freshmen and the effort they’ve shown, and if we can just get them bigger, faster and stronger for Friday nights, we’re going to be in a good position to do some things that Clarkdale can be proud of.”

Senior guard/defensive end Lucas Vanderburg said he likes the potential he sees in the younger players.

“They’re young and are going to make mistakes just like I did when I was a freshman, but compared to where I was at that age, they’re leaps and bounds ahead of me,” Vanderburg said.

A bigger roster means more options in practice, something Soules said should pay off down the road.

“You can actually line up a scout defense in front of your starting offense that has six or seven guys on it that are starters on defense, so that’s great,” Soules said. “The flip side of that is when you run your scout offense at your starting defense, you can actually have guys in front of them that can play. It also helps build depth for us to where hopefully, when we get to the 3A portion of the schedule, we don’t have as many guys playing both ways and we look like a 3A school.”

Vanderburg said he’s noticed a difference in practices as well.

“For four years, I’ve never had a second string,” Vanderburg said. “There was no one to take my position if I got hurt. Now, these guys have the skill and ability to process what they should do and do it.”

Soules said Sebastopol would present a tough matchup in senior wide receiver Reginald Shepherd.

“They’re very well-coached,” Soules said. “Nick Mooney does a great job. They have a receiver, No. 1 (Shepherd) who’s about 6-foot-2 and made some big catches in their jamboree, so we have to be fast, physical, smart and do the things we need to do to win the football game.”

With it being their last season opener for high school football, the seniors admitted there might be some strong emotions when taking the field Friday.

“I’ve been doing this for six years, so this is the last first thing I’m going to get,” Vanderburg said. “I’m going to cry for sure, so it’s important for us to get a win.”

Said Conner, “Right now, I’m just taking it day by day. I plan on having a blast and putting 100-percent effort into it.”

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday at Clarkdale.