Every team starts the season with the goal of winning a state championship, but few have the will to follow through on that goal.
For 13 weeks, Bartlett managed to keep that objective squarely in sight.
On Saturday night, months of hard work, dedication and preparation weren't enough as Bartlett saw its best season in school history come to an end in a 23-6 loss to state powerhouse Maine South.
For a program that had only two playoff victories coming into this season, Bartlett came tantalizingly close to its goal of becoming the first Upstate Eight Conference team to win a state crown, which seems downright audacious given the historical context.
However, this group of players didn't seem to mind the school's previous shortcomings in the state football playoffs. This 2008 Bartlett team showed up every week truly believing it would win, which made the first taste of defeat this year so much tougher to swallow.
The heartbreak was clear as offensive coordinator Mark Williams choked back tears as he addressed his sobbing players after the game, commending them for setting a goal and working tirelessly to achieve that goal, even if they did come up just short.
"Our goal was definitely to win state, but I'm so proud of all my teammates for coming out every single day to practice and working so hard to accomplish one goal," Bartlett quarterback Josh Hasenberg said. "The camaraderie this team has is unbelievable. They are a great group of guys. I wouldn't have wanted to play high school football with another group of guys ever."
None of the estimated 4,000 fans in attendance and none of the many who watched live on television will be able to dispute that the better team won.
Maine South's defense manhandled Bartlett's offense, largely shutting down Bartlett's normally effective passing game.
Bartlett's defense did manage to hold Maine South to a season low for points, but whenever Maine South's Vanderbilt-bound quarterback Charlie Goro needed 10 yards, he seemed to get 12 with relative ease.
Bartlett trailed only 7-0 late in the third quarter thanks in large part to the play of a number of seniors who did whatever they could to keep their team within striking distance.
Whether it was senior tight end Matt Pashawitz leveling a bone-crushing hit to open space for a Hasenberg 16-yard run or senior cornerback David Palma recording an interception or senior lineman Matt Paladino dropping Goro for a timely sack, Bartlett seemed to do everything it could to hang on for dear life.
That grip finally gave way when Maine South's Matt Perez scored on a 31-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-0 with 1:06 left in the third quarter. When Hasenberg was sacked in the end zone for a safety with 8:31 left in the fourth, many of the chilled Bartlett fans saw the writing on the wall and started filing out.
What those fans missed was one final display of character from Bartlett's seniors.
On the final offensive possession of the season, Hasenberg led Bartlett on a 99-yard touchdown drive, connecting with standout senior receiver Cory Brown four different times, including on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining.
The scoring drive was ultimately meaningless in terms of the outcome, but it did offer one last glimpse at the never-give-up attitude this senior class displayed on a weekly basis as it set a high standard for all future Bartlett teams to follow.
"For the last two years I couldn't have asked for a better group to play with than these guys," junior tight end Greg Partyka said. "They taught me so much and I'm going to take everything I learned and strive to be like all of them. Every single one of them."
great season for your team. now get started on the next season, you have a long way to go before you ever win a state title,youu gotta have HEART.