There was sadness in the Spartan locker room following the final game of the season Friday, but maybe not the kind you’d expect after such a desperately near loss.

“They were sad because they couldn’t play anymore,” said Spartan Head Coach Andy Grimm.

The melancholy end to a season of dramatically improved play came just moments before, when the final Bainbridge field goal attempt struck just left of center, denying the team the overtime shot at a “grande finale” win they had so desperately clawed up at through what had seemed an inescapable slaughter early in their last game of the season against Bremerton High.

“I felt like we came out flat in the first half and let them jump on us,” Grimm said of the team’s early, almost immediate, points deficit.

Then, in the locker room at the end of the first half, Grimm said that things seemed to become clear for the Spartans.

“You’ve got two quarters,” is what he later said he told them that night, effectively drawing a sort of definitive line in the sand for the team.

Low and behold, when they retook the field, the Spartans played their last two quarters accordingly.

“They rose to the challenge, which was great to see,” Grimm said.

The Spartans indeed had a way to rise, having fallen behind considerably by the end of the first quarter (they trailed 7-21 with one minute left in the stanza).

Things only got worse for the BHS squad in the second, but it was ultimately not to last.

The third quarter saw an apparently new team hit the field, obviously determined to mount a comeback, which they very nearly did until that final foul field goal.

The island team was led in their final season matchup by senior quarterback Casey Brink, who passed a total of 81 yards including one touchdown, and finished the night with eight carries for

35 yards.

Sam Wysong and Carter Daniels both managed to score two touchdowns as well.

Wysong had 11 carries for 67 rushing yards and Daniels managed six for 36.

Ben Fisher rounded out the Spartans’ rushing efforts, finishing the season’s final game with 26 carries for 114 yards.

Oskar Dieterich was the team’s receiving superstar, managing two receptions for 31 yards.

Kyle Jackson, who had not been medically cleared to return to the quarterback position, managed two catches for 36 yards.

Fisher finished the night with one reception for a 1-yard loss and Sam Roth contributed one reception for 15 yards.

Defensively, the Spartans put up some respectably numbers and were led by Jack Frickleton, who managed eight solo and three assisted tackles. Five of those were for -1, -5, -8 and -2 Bremerton losses, respectfully.

Glodi Kingombe finished the night with six solo and three assisted tackles, Wysong with six and two, Nich Nordberg with five and one and Max Thomas ended the game with four solo and two assisted tackles.

The final loss at home, though disappointing, did cement the 2014 Spartans’ overall season record at 4-6, a dramatic improvement over last year.

“I think we talked in the locker room to the kids after the game [and] what I try to emphasize is that you’re not really going to remember your record when you’re 40,” Grimm said. “You’ll remember the guys you played with, the coaches, practicing in the rain, or crazy stuff that you experienced.”

Grimm said that in this final respect, he felt that this year’s squad had been particularly successful.

“They didn’t end up with a winning record as far as percentages go, but I guarantee you they’re leaving here with positive memories,” he said.

It was an upbeat end to an undeniable season of change within the Bainbridge football program, which saw the revitalization of community outreach events including an inaugural alumni tournament at the beginning of the year, the return of the homecoming parade and further involvement of the youth program participants, all of which Grimm said were necessary to make football an essential part of Bainbridge Island sports culture again.

“The kids are the best recruiters,” he explained. “Part of it is when you have a positive experience, it feeds off of itself.”

This year’s Spartans, he added, would surely have a number of positive memories for their mental experience scrapbooks — undoubtedly including this final, frantically near upset against Bremerton High.