Marana head coach Willie Dudley: "When I got here, the football players really struggled with their perception on campus. What we're trying to do is get players who really enjoy football. We want to make it where football is the thing to do on campus."

Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

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A wardrobe malfunction forced the Marana High School football team to hit the field for their home opener Sept. 21 in the same white jerseys they had worn for the first three games of the season, all of which had been played on the road.

The Tigers' royal-blue tops are expected to arrive in time for their next home game, against Sabino on Oct. 5.

But judging by the way Marana has fared in the white unis so far this season, those blues might never leave the boxes in which they were shipped.

"We just might go with these (white jerseys) all year," joked Marana head coach Willie Dudley early in last week's 42-14 victory over Rio Rico.

The win upped Marana's record to 3-1, nearly matching last season's win total — four — and keeping the Tigers in position to achieve something they have not done since 1998: a playoff appearance.

The doormats of the Northwest Side for nearly a decade, Marana is in the midst of a resurgence behind a well-seasoned coach who has brought a game plan of developing people first, players second.

"If we build their character, that will take care of a lot of other issues," said Dudley, 48, in his third year at the school. "Last year we had a really good group of players, and our seniors led in what to do. Our juniors have taken that over. They are a pleasant group to be around. I don't think we have one (player) that you'd say, 'I don't like to be around them.' "

And there are more of them than in years past. Marana dresses 44 players for varsity games, nearly double the number that were on the Tigers' sideline earlier this decade, and close to 50 kids play for Marana's freshman team.

Dudley has worked alongside many of the greatest names in state football history. He was an assistant for Dick Tomey at the UA, was on Jeff Scurran's staff at Pima College and has worked with prep greats John Kashner (Flowing Wells), Jessie Parker (Mesa Mountain View) and Karl Kiefer (Tempe McClintock).

"Everything that he's learned, he's brought to us," senior tailback Tanner Henry said.

The Tigers went 1-9 in Dudley's first season in 2004, the tail end of a three-year stretch where Marana was 4-27.

"When I got here, the football players really struggled with their perception on campus," Dudley said. "What we're trying to do is get players who really enjoy football. We want to make it where football is the thing to do on campus."

Another key to Marana's recent turnaround has been the return of a former Tiger star. Clay Hardt, a standout from 1996-98 who went on to play for the UA from 1999-2003, is in his second year on staff as a defensive assistant.

Having Hardt around "makes us want to be that much better," said Henry, who has run for 416 yards and four touchdowns this season. "To see Coach Clay go to the UA and do well there, and bring back what he's learned, it makes you strive that much harder to make this a winning year."

Though still a losing mark, last season's 4-6 record went a long way toward restoring confidence in the Tigers' players. Hardt said when the team won its first game last year, it was "like we'd won a state championship," but with each subsequent victory there was less a feeling of amazement and more one of expectation.

The 2006 campaign got off to a rousing start with a 35-14 win at Catalina, during which Dudley said his players were inspired when a Catalina player could be heard yelling to his teammates, "Come on, guys, this is Marana!"

With the philosophy in place and the numbers up, Marana is well on its way to returning to its past glory. Whether it gets there this season is heavily dependent on the arm and feet of junior quarterback Robert Rowe.

The 6-foot-1, 173-pound Rowe, who says he patterns his game after NFL star Michael Vick — right down to the No. 7 jersey — is an elusive runner whose speed and agility has enabled him to run for 355 yards and five touchdowns as well as throw for 480 yards and five scores.

"He's a great leader, a great athlete," Dudley said of Rowe, who was converted to quarterback this past spring. "We've seen that all along. Now other people are getting to see that."

Rowe's first two years at Marana were marred by injuries. He broke his left leg in the final game of his freshman season, then broke his left arm during preseason practice as a sophomore.

"I'm very happy that I'm healthy," said Rowe, who believes his team has played well so far, but not well enough to gain the respect of other teams. "I guess it's going to take us beating the best in Tucson," he said.

The Tigers visit Desert View (1-3) on Friday.

The confidence gained from the nonregion portion of their schedule will go a long way in determining how they weather a minefield like 4A Sonoran Region schedule that, starting with the Oct. 5 game against Sabino, includes a run of four straight 2005 state playoff participants.