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WINTERSVILLE -- The Indian Creek football team saw its season come to a disappointing end Friday night against rival Edison.
The Wildcats scored the game's first 21 points en route to a 28-7 victory in the annual Route 43 Bowl at Kettlewell Stadium to cap a perfect 10-0 season.
The outcome did not turn out in Indian Creek's favor, but the Redskins played hard until the final whistle sounded.
"They did," Indian Creek (1-9) head coach Andrew Connor said. "They played really hard. They played well. It showed how much the kids cared about our seniors. They really wanted to win that last game for them. If a couple of bounces or breaks go our way, things could have been different."
The Redskins lost their final eight games of the season.
"I told the kids truth," Connor said asked how he is going to look back on the season. "There are no excuses. We played hard every week. We stayed together. From Week 1 to Week 10, you would not have known our record if you saw how hard our kids worked at practice.
"No kids quit. I am proud of the guys for how hard they worked. It was a tough season."
Indian Creek had a small senior class this season, however, the class made a big impact on the Redskins' program.
"They showed why I am proud to be their head football coach," Connor said. "They were great leaders. I wish we could have won that last game for them. The kids came out and played well. It showed how much the seniors meant to the younger kids.
"The seniors worked very hard, and they should be proud of everything they did during their time at Indian Creek. They were great leaders for the younger kids. I hope they have the best life possible once they leave here."
Some of the seniors were vocal leaders, while some led by example.
"It was a combination," Connor said. "They showed their leadership by how hard they came in and did things. They got the younger kids invested. They really helped the younger kids.
"It may not have shown the dividends this season with our record, but it will in the future and they will have a big role in that. They showed the young guys how to carry themselves on and off the field."
With a small senior class, the Redskins had to relay on a bunch of underclassmen to fill key roles this season. The younger players gained valuable experience and progressed throughout the season.
"I thought we did progress," Connor said. Down the stretch, it may not have shown in some of the scores, but our kids put forth a lot of effort. The results do not show how hard they worked in practice.
"They didn't quit. In this day and age, it is easy for kids to walk away from stuff. These kids worked hard and played hard until the final quarter of our 10th game. We are going to build off that. Some of these kids are going to be here for another two or three years."
Indian Creek has a good group of freshmen coming in to replace its departing seniors.
"We have a good class coming in," Connor said. "Hopefully, we will have over 60 kids on our roster 9-12. We have a lot of experience coming back. These kids just didn't play one or two plays, but they got a lot of experience this season."