Success doesn’t necessarily breed success in David Smothers’ eyes. The sixth-year Addison coach vividly remembers the Bulldogs going 11-2 his junior year, only to take things for granted and tumble to 5-6 his final season.

On the heels of last fall’s trip to the Class 1A semifinals, Smothers wants to avoid a similar fate for his latest Blue and Gold bunch.

“Personally, as a coach, it makes my job harder,” he said of Addison’s sterling 13-1 record in 2016. “I think our kids think they’re a little better than they are right now. Right now, I don’t feel like we’re near what we can be. I think we’ve got the chance to be pretty good, but, BUT we’ve got to earn it. I’m not sure these kids have caught on to that yet.”

That’s not to say Smothers doesn’t think they eventually will, though.

“Oh, without a doubt,” he said. “I think we could have a really good year. A really good year.”

That’s exactly the plan for senior Ben Robinson, who said he’s more hungry than satisfied after last fall’s deep run.

“We’re going to do it again,” he said. “We’re going to come back, and we’re going to make it all the way.”

In order to do just that, the sixth-ranked Dawgs will have to replace a trio of All-State performers in Noah Rice, Zeb Maze and Matthew Mann. That’s been easier said than done for the former pair, with Zayne Guthrie, Gage Gilliland and Grant Rice competing in fall camp at quarterback, and Caleb Crider, Jacob Smithson and Braxton Preuitt in the mix to step in at fullback.

No matter who ultimately snags each starting position, Smothers said both competing trios are made up of players he’ll more than likely find a place for no matter how either battle shakes out.

“We’re actually pretty blessed skill-wise,” he said. “We’ve got several skill kids that can be on the field somewhere. But you can only put 11 out there, and out of that 11, five of them’s linemen. So that only leaves six skills, and we’ve probably got about 10 who could possibly be out there. That’s a good thing and a bad thing.”

One more year with Robinson in the backfield is definitely a good thing for Addison. This year, the seasoned speedster will be running behind a heavily experienced line consisting of center Hayden Ray, right guard Jeb Robinson, and guards Jackson Carroll and Trace Thompson.

“We’re feeling good,” Ray said. “We know we’ve got the backs to find holes. All we’ve got to do is get movement and create them.”

Freshman Logan Wilkins returns at receiver and will serve as a towering target alongside Luke Chambers, Rice, Gilliland, Preuitt and Jake Blackburn.

Led by Robinson and rounded out by sophomores Crider, Jake Wilson and Matthew Harris, Addison’s linebacking corps will look the exact same as a season ago. Ray, Thompson and Dayson Parker all sport considerable experience at defensive end, as do Gilliland, Guthrie and Preuitt in the secondary. Blackburn, Chambers, Wilkins and Brett Smith will all also see time in the defensive backfield.

Crider is the early favorite to assume kicking duties after occasionally spelling Maze last fall.

While every season tends to reveal new stars, one Smothers is counting on to continue shining brightly one last fall is Robinson. The two-way grinder’s earned his coach’s respect since storming onto the varsity scene seemingly ages ago.

“He looks good, real good,” Smothers said. “If he can stay healthy, I expect he’ll be one of those kids that at the end of the year we’ll be talking about possible nominations for All-State and things like that.”

It’s been nearly nine months since the Addison community tragically lost Will Gunnin in a car accident, but the sophomore has been anything but forgotten. The 6-1, 320-pound lineman was lovingly tabbed a “big ol’ lovin’ teddy bear” by Smothers and was a key piece in the Dawgs’ player-favorite hog package.

“He’s missed every day and heavy on our hearts,” Smothers said. “Man, I miss him, I miss him, I miss him a bunch, just for the kid he was but also because he was really coming around. He was going to be some kind of a football player.”

Robinson and Ray said every snap this year will be dedicated to Gunnin, who frequently discussed his dreams of bringing another state title to Addison with his coaches and teammates.

“We set out our goal before spring even started to play for Will and to get that state championship for him because we knew how bad he wanted it,” Ray said.

Addison’s bid for a second straight undefeated regular season and fourth state crown begins Friday at 3A Elkmont. Achieving both goals is obviously the proud program’s plan, but Smothers, for one, isn’t setting his sights quite so far down the road.

“Right now, I am just totally focused on being 1-0,” he said. “That’s kind of what we did last year. We just took it one game at a time and didn’t get caught up in all that stuff. Before you knew it, there we were in the semifinals and had a chance at it.”

Robinson and Co. are all on the same page as their coach … with a slight caveat.

“I mean, I want a state championship, but to get that, we’ve got to be 1-0 first,” the senior said. “We’ve all got that mindset.”