MOUNT DORA — It’s not often that a 2-2 record is reason to celebrate, but it might be at Mount Dora Christian Academy.

Then again, few area football programs struggled like the Bulldogs did in 2015.

MDCA heads into Friday’s home game against Winter Haven All Saints’ Academy looking to rise above the break-even mark this late in the season for the first time since 2014. The Bulldogs have scored 90 points in four games — 44 points more than MDCA scored all of last season when it finished 0-8 and was outscored 392-46.

Unlike last season, the Bulldogs have been competitive in each of its four games this season. In fact, in its two losses, MDCA has lost by a combined total of 13 points.

“We’ve moved past last year,” said MDCA coach Jim Nichols, who is in his first season as Bulldogs coach. “Probably the biggest change for us is our senior class. Last year we had one senior and now we have 20 seniors. It’s very important to have that kind of leadership on the field. They’re like coaches on the field and that goes a long way when you’re trying to rebuild something.

“That’s a big deal for us.”

Nichols said that because of the strong leadership he has on the roster, players don’t spend time comparing this year’s team to last year’s winless campaign.

Instead, the Bulldogs practice during the week as if they will win on Friday. In fact, Nichols said, they expect to win every game.

“We’re already in a good position to grow this program,” Nichols said. “This is not something we felt would be fixed in one season. This thing (football at MDCA) has been going for 10 years now and we’re looking to build something for the next 10 years.

“This group has the chance to be the foundation for the next step in Bulldogs football.”

And Nichols has weapons with which to establish a winning mindset at MDCA. The defensive unit, led by sophomore Jesiah Pierre, has effectively been stopping opposing offenses and giving the Bulldogs’ offensive unit an opportunity to put points on the scoreboard.

The offense, Nichols said, has been slower to come around than the defense. Then again, it doesn’t even have to cross the goal line to put points on the board for the Bulldogs.

“We’ve got one of the best field goal kickers in the state,” Nichols said. “Dalton Starling, a transfer from Umatilla, has a huge leg. In last week’s game (a 30-24 loss to Jacksonville Christ’s Church Academy) Dalton kicked a 47-yarder, the longest field goal in the state this year by a high school kicker.

“He’s someone who should be playing on Saturdays next year.”

And Starling is just one of several Bulldogs who Nichols believes should earn college scholarships. Pierre, even though he is just a sophomore, has already attracted the attention of college coaches.

During the summer, he was offered from the University of Miami. It was the first of what will likely be countless offers for the 6-foot-2, 207-pound linebacker.

However, before he worries himself with college offers, Pierre is focused on restoring MDCA to gridiron respectability.

“We want to make history here,” Pierre said. “We’re like a family now and we look out for each other. When one succeeds, we all succeed and we all share the same goal. We want to win every Friday night and everyone is willing to pay the price during the week to accomplish that.

“Everyone has bought into what coach Nichols has brought to the program and we believe that if we do the things he and his coaching staff is teaching, we will win a lot of football games at Mount Dora Christian Academy.”

But the rebuild job at MDCA is a big one. Nichols, who is also MDCA’s athletic director, has been tasked with rebuilding the Bulldogs into a team that can compete for championships in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.

It’s a challenge he has accepted, as has his coaches.

And most importantly, his players have also bought into his concept.

Everyone at MDCA knows the Bulldogs are a long shot to reach the SSAC playoffs this season. MDCA is in third place in the SSAC’s Coral North Florida division with a 1-1 league mark at the midway point of the season — SSAC programs play only eight regular-season games.

But just being in the conversation is a step in the right direction for the Bulldogs.

“Our goal is to compete every week,” Nichols said. “If we do that, we have a chance to win.”