At 6-foot-3, 276-pounds, Mason Myers strikes an imposing figure. With his squared jaw and unflinching gaze, he resembled the prototypical tough offensive lineman.

However, when Southmoore lost 44-26 to Jenks Saturday, a defeat that knocked the SaberCats out of the postseason, Myers couldn't hold back the emotion. Like his teammates, the senior had poured everything he had into this season only to come up short. And that was enough to bring a tear to Myers' eyes.

"It's hard because I grew up with these guys and the coaches," Myers said after the semifinal loss. "I have been around them. It's really hard. Our team has a lot of character. All that hard work we did in the offseason and summer, we just came together. I just love those guys."

Southmoore came into the season with one goal. Though the program was only in its second year, the SaberCats set their sights on a state championship. Considering they were coming off a 2-8 season, it seemed ambitious at best.

However, as they knocked off opponents week after week, the SaberCats showed they were for real.

"They showed a tremendous amount of heart and fought all the way till the end," Southmoore coach Chris Jensen said. "I'm very proud of the whole group."

In only their second year, several SaberCats set records that will be difficult to surpass.

Quarterback Kendal Thompson passed for 2,800 yards and 30 touchdowns. He collected another 10 scores on the ground and even nabbed a receiving touchdown. After his 134-yard receiving day against Jenks, Nyko Symonds ended his senior year with 37 receptions for 864 yards and seven touchdowns.

With Thompson, Symonds, Andrew Long, Austin Haywood, Jordan Newby and Derek Serowski, Southmoore became one of the most prolific offenses in the state. But even the SaberCats were unable to put up the numbers they needed to stay alive in the postseason.

"We never gave up," Julian Wilson said. "Coming back into the second half we said it was 0-0;. We scored points and we came out there and competed with them. All I can say is they came out with the W and I wish them the best of luck going farther in the playoffs."

The Cats didn't have an easy ride this year. They had to deal with controversies to start the season because of offseason transfers and eligibility concerns. They also had their share of tight games that went down to the wire.

But they were able to overcome all obstacles and come within one game of reaching their goal.

"We had a lot of adversity," Jensen said. "But this group stayed together, stayed focused on the task at hand. In the end, I'm very proud of them. I'm proud of the way they battled all the way through."

Michael Kinney

366-3537