WARRENSBURG, Mo.| Central Missouri coach Willie Fritz wasn&#8217;t being defensive when it was brought to his attention about two heart-wrenching, fourth-quarter losses last season.</p><p>If the Mules could have found a way to win those games instead of losing 38-31 in double overtime to Pittsburg State and 28-26 to Northwest Missouri, they would have reached the NCAA Division II playoffs.</p><p>&#8220;But what about the Missouri Southern game?&#8221; Fritz asked.</p><p>Good point. The Mules showed the kind of grit that was lacking in the 2006 season by pulling out a 24-23 victory.</p><p>Central Missouri finished 7-4 last season, rebounding from a 5-6 year in 2006, which was the Mules&#8217; first losing season since Fritz first arrived in 1997.</p><p>&#8220;I thought we got back to playing our style of defense,&#8221; Fritz said. &#8220;We created a lot more takeaways and a lot more sacks. And we did a better job of defending the run also.&#8221;</p><p>One of the defensive players making an impact is senior Adrian Singletary, a graduate of Winnetonka. He had three sacks last season and forced two fumbles.</p><p>Singletary has a good understanding how close the Mules were last year to being a playoff team. Central Missouri thumped Washburn 28-14 in Topeka last season, and Washburn wound up making the playoffs.</p><p>&#8220;We keep that (the losses to Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State) as a good point of emphasis, but we don&#8217;t dwell on it,&#8221; Singletary said. &#8220;It&#8217;s never good to dwell on something. If you get a bad play, you go to the next.</p><p>&#8220;The losses, we keep them as an example of where we were and where we need to be. Those are the mistakes we made in the past. Let&#8217;s not repeat our past.&#8221;</p><p>Perhaps the best thing going for the Mules is the 19 seniors that return.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of them have been around a long time,&#8221; Fritz said. &#8220;They know what we expect. I told our team that they are going to help you learn and do things the right way. It&#8217;s really a good group.&#8221;</p><p>The large senior class, said senior offensive lineman Mike Gunselman, has created a family atmosphere.</p><p>&#8220;This is not just a program. It&#8217;s a family,&#8221; said Gunselman, a graduate of Park Hill. &#8220;It means so much to me to be here and be a part of it.We are very excited for this season.&#8221;</p><p>Singletary and Gunselman know it&#8217;s going to take every Mule pulling in the same direction to finish atop the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and reach the playoffs.</p><p>Northwest Missouri, Pittsburg State, Nebraska-Omaha and Washburn have made the playoffs at least twice this decade, and Missouri Western just missed making the playoffs for a second straight season last year.</p><p>&#8220;What we learned from last year is that nothing is given to us,&#8221; Gunselman said. &#8220;If you want it, you&#8217;ve got to take it. That&#8217;s the main thing. Everything requires hard work, and no matter how hard we work somebody else is going to be working harder. We&#8217;ve just got to remember that and be the hardest workers out there.&#8221;