Marshfield’s football team is in a rare situation this fall.

For just the second time in coach Kent Wigle’s 21 years on the South Coast, the Pirates are coming off a losing season.

A series of close losses last fall resulted in a 4-6 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in the Midwestern League.

Circumstances this year — primarily a good core of returning players, a good level of depth on the squad and an overall better attitude — suggest that the Pirates are headed toward a better season.

Marshfield has 22 seniors — the most it’s had in recent years — and a wealth of returning starters.

“We have a good nucleus,” Wigle said. “When we have 11 starters  back, that’s a lot for us.”

And as a whole, the overall team has a great attitude.

“I think the difference in this year’s team is that we have a lot more dedication,” said junior quarterback Kyle Tedder. “Guys were here from the first day of lifting to the first day of conditioning.

“That makes a difference when it comes to the season. We have a lot of camaraderie and we work well together.”

Some of last year’s seniors weren’t completely dedicated, the players said. Marshfield also lost a couple of key players to injury, which contributed to the team’s struggles in tight games.

“This year there’s a lot more energy,” said senior Shane Daly, a returning defensive back and tight end. “Practices are intense. The seniors are stepping up and being leaders.”

That has Daly excited.

“This year is our year,” he said. “I think something special can happen.”

The players certainly don’t want a repeat of 2007.

“Last year was a downer,” said defensive back and wide receiver Levi Meline. “It didn’t leave a positive feeling.

But this is a new year, and a clean slate for the team.

“We want to start clean and get it done,” Meline said.

Marshfield has a good base to work from on both offense and defense.

The strengths of the offense are three returning linemen — center Jordan Chaplin, guard McKenzie Freeman and tackle Jordan Tardie — who form an experienced left side of the line and a veteran receiving corps led by Jordan Shepherd and also including Meline and Daly.

That should compensate for an inexperienced backfield that includes Tedder, a talented but untested quarterback, and a backfield in which the top returning ball carrier, Talo Silver, had just a handful of attempts in 2007.

“I think (the offense) is going to be good,” said Daly. “Kyle’s got two tall receivers and a really strong left line.”

The quarterback loves his group of receivers.

“Shepherd is 6-5,” he said of Marshfield’s tallest player. “He’s fast and strong.

“Shane Daly at tight end has really improved. Levi (Meline) does a great job catching and running. Chris Krajcir is great. He’ll catch almost anything.”

Tedder added that Silver will prove to be a solid running back.

“He’s so elusive,” Tedder said. “He’s hard to tackle.”

“He’s a great kid,” added Wigle. “He’s a hard worker.”

Defensive standouts Kyle Brown and Bo Cutting also will see time in the backfield, giving Marshfield several options.

Tedder has unlimited potential, and Wigle said his backup, Geoff Van Pulliam, is another quality passer.

“That’s what I like about this group,” the coach said. “We have a lot of good, solid kids.”

“We have the potential to be pretty good (on offense),” said Freeman, who earned second-team all-league honors last fall.

“We have good running backs. Kyle is a good quarterback. We have good receivers all around.”

And that’s without mentioning Freeman and his friends on the line, who include Andrew Kilmer, Andrew Schneider, Cody Shipp and Chris Cordova, who share time on the right side.

“I think we can overpower other defensive lines,” Freeman said.

Meanwhile, Marshfield also has a strong returning core of defenders.

Meline was a second-team all-league defensive back a year ago, and Daly and Travis Bettin also started in the backfield. Brown and Cody Dew return at linebacker and Cutting is back at defensive end, giving Marshfield six returning starters.

“We have a fast defense,” said Daly. “I think that’s going to be to our advantage. We’re really quick.”

Several players are capable of filling in the gaps.

John Castro and Kyle Kauffman have taken starting spots at defensive tackle, while Freeman and Jesse Comstock also are in the rotation. Joining Cutting in the defensive end group are Tardie and Marcus Beckett, while Chris Gill and Chris Thomas join Dew and Brown at linebacker.

Daly and Meline are the starting safeties, but Daniel Hamer and Silver also can play those two positions. The cornerbacks are Bettin, Chaplin, Gabe Anderson and Callen Cooper.

“I think we’ve got a chance to be good,” Wigle said. “We run well and we’re physical enough that people could have trouble running on us.”

North Bend managed just 70 yards on the ground against Marshfield’s defense during the season-opening endowment game last week.

The question is whether all those components will make a difference in Marshfield’s record.

Wigle is quick to point out similarities between his first losing season at Marshfield, in 1989, and last year’s campaign.

“They mirrored each other,” he said. “We had a bunch of injuries both years, and not a lot of depth.”

While the Pirates don’t yet know if they will be hit by the injury bug, the other factors point toward a strong season.

“I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Wigle said. “We haven’t had that depth in a while.”