While playoff aspirations are still tangible, for the 18 seniors who will play their final home game Friday at Indian Bowl, you’d have to take them back to their fifth-grade year to feel a season like this.

Being that most of them were playing Paul Young Football at that time, its likely their football memories won’t be of that senior group, the final group under then-coach Mike Monroe.

But they’re aware of the tradition that’s been in place since.

At 2-6, anything short of a gold ball assures this squad of having the first losing season at MHS since 2002. A loss tonight against Tulsa Memorial or even in some scenarios, a narrow win could keep them from the playoffs for the first time since that season.

“We came as freshmen into a program used to making it to the semifinals,” said one of those seniors and co-captains, Ruben Gaines. “Now our backs are against the wall trying to win just to get to the playoffs. It’s something new for all of us.”

As was the 0-4 start, one step from setting a legacy of infamy. No MHS program in the school’s history has gone 0-5 to start a season. That week 6 win (remember, week 2 against Norman North was a no-contest weather cancellation) is what has this team in a position to control its own destiny tonight should, as expected, Sand Springs lose to 6A-3 champ and top-ranked Jenks.

At 0-4, losing was getting to these guys. At least five of them, including Gaines, visited coach Matt Hennesy to voice their frustration.

“Coach had told us all along that the first part of the year was going to be difficult,” the senior receiver/linebacker said. “We had a lot of young guys on the team. Still, you look at 0-4 and it’s tough to swallow.

“He told us all we could do was step up and lead. It’s all we could do, through our work in practice, how we carried ourselves. We’re the examples and if we hung our heads down, the young guys would follow along behind us.”

The response, Hennesy said, is the thing he’s been most proud of.

“If you look at the two wins, it may seem crazy to say it, but this has been one of the best coaching jobs by a staff I’ve ever been around, and it’s been one of the best leadership examples by a group of seniors,” he said. “With so many young kids and all the little things you have to deal with while trying to plug along, leaving no stone unturned and not getting discouraged, a lot of times this kind of response leaves you more encouraged than watching them work in a year you’re successful.

“With the seniors, I’m proud of their resiliency. They haven’t lost a lot of motivation.”

In fact, the win over Sapulpa two weeks ago, combined with Sand Springs’ win over Claremore, gave this struggling team a renewed sense of motivation with the crack in the door to make the postseason. The turn of events immediately led another senior and co-captain, Cole Chapman, to request a team meeting of seniors and captains.

“I wanted us to rededicate ourselves to holding each other accountable for the rest of the season and keep fighting for something we had a chance for,” said Chapman, a receiver.

As a result, Chapman said, the practice atmosphere has changed, undaunted even by last week’s 58-15 loss to Jenks.

“Football’s about enjoying the sport and we’ve kind of been away from that for a while,” he said. “We’ve really never had that this year. It’s been more looking at it as work. Well it is work but if you’re not enjoying it, you’re not going to do well with it.”

And in Hennesy’s mind, they’ve won more valuable skills off the field even if not in the win column.

“In life you don’t win every day at work, or with your kids or spouse, and you’ll have to ask yourself whether you’re going to battle back the next day or not,” he said.

“They’ve taught these young kids not just about football but the little things that don’t get a lot of attention but are so important to establishing a routine, like the responsibility of reading to elementary kids on Monday and being here on time, how to conduct yourself, how we get on the bus before the game, just modeling the little things that pass on leadership.”

Every group, Hennesy added, wants to leave their legacy.

“They sure didn’t want to leave a losing one, and they still have a shot at rectifying part of that by getting to the playoffs,” he said. “But it’s because of what else they’ve done that we’ll have some sophomores who will be ready to lead as juniors.”

Which is a good thing since there’s only seven juniors on this year’s squad.