Judging strictly by last year’s record, you might not expect much out of the Stamford football team in 2022. But those within and around the program see plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

Not only do the Bulldogs return 16 of 20 lettermen from last year’s team, including eight offensive and nine defensive starters, but they’ll be filling what few holes they have with promotees from a 9-1 junior varsity team, while welcoming a freshman class that went undefeated last year in eighth grade.

So if second-year coach Britt Hart sounds excited about the immediate and long-term future of his program, there’s justification for it. And while Stamford will still be young after starting five freshmen last fall, much more is expected from this year’s team than the one that limped to a 3-7 record a year ago.