Derby ? Smashed in the mouth by a rough early-season schedule, Free State High was one of the last four Class 6A football teams standing before losing to Derby High, 35-14, Friday night in the wind and chill that stung not nearly as deeply as the loss.

Firebirds coach Bob Lisher, who has taken five of his past 10 teams to the semifinals, will summon the path this team took when talking to future squads about never getting discouraged, never listening to external and internal voices of doom when adversity surfaces.

“This team came from an 0-3 start and got themselves into the state semifinals with an opportunity to go to the championship game,” Lisher said. “I mean, it’s a great year. We’re sad now, but it’s a great year. We had a great year. They’ll look back on it and understand it was a great year.”

It included an eight-game winning streak that was snapped Friday by a relentlessly feisty Derby team that featured fast, clever play-makers on offense and tough, quick, energetic defenders.

Free State senior Sam Skwarlo didn’t have room to run to his usual productive day carrying the ball, but led the team with 12 tackles, playing his heart out in the finale of a terrific career.

It says a lot about a football team to start a season 0-3 and rattle off eight consecutive victories from there.

“It says that we never stopped fighting, just like tonight, even though it didn’t exactly show on the scoreboard,” Skwarlo said. “We fought all year long. We could have laid down and died after the first three games. We didn’t. We turned it around the next week, got on a hot streak, and it just didn’t go our way tonight. That’s football.”

Losses such as this hurt so much not only because they deny a team a shot to play for the state title, but for seniors it means they must part ways with teammates whose camaraderie they enjoyed daily.

“This was the most special group that I’ve ever seen,” Skwarlo said. “We had not as much talent as everyone else. Everyone said we weren’t going to be that good.”

They were very good, especially a defense that, with Lisher coordinating, pitched back-to-back shutouts late in the season. Senior defensive linemen Jalen Galloway had another active night, consistently getting behind the line of scrimmage and finishing with six tackles. He was sad to see it end and gracious toward the triumphant opponent.

“I’m going to (hold onto) the memories I had from freshman year on,” Galloway said. “This is all my family here. We might not be blood, but all of us were family here. We lost tonight, but Derby was an amazing team. Their quarterback had some quicks, and their O-line was amazing. I really enjoyed playing against them.”

Skwarlo said, “I’ll remember the team dinners, the team stuff we did off the field. The bond with these guys, it can’t be broken. I love these guys.”

Free State has one of the most consistent football programs in the state, forever showing significant in-season improvement and performing well in the playoffs. The Firebirds made it to a state-championship game once, in 2008, losing to Junction City, and are seeking their first state title.

“We’ve been right there. We’ve just got to finish,” Lisher said. “To get to this point is tough, but I sure would like to get to the final one more time.”

Free State squeezed so much more out of this season than anyone had any right to expect and ran into a better team Friday. Once the pain of the loss fades, pride will be the prevailing sentiment for all involved in an inspirational season.