“It’s a tough one to swallow. They’re very disappointed, but they have a lot to be proud of,” Schuylerville coach Greg O’Connor said. “They learned a lot of lessons. This is a great group of kids. The more you care, the more it’s going to hurt.”

The Black Horses (8-2) held a 14-0 lead at halftime against Cambridge, but squandered 21 points over the final two quarters in a heartbreaking 21-20 defeat.

In the season-opener for both teams, the Indians easily disposed of Schuylerville in a 46-13 blowout, but O’Connor knew his team was much better than that and watched them mature as the season went on.

“That was a tough loss. After that game, we really focused on taking each game one at a time. That became our approach,” O’Connor said.

It definitely worked as the Black Horses reeled off eight straight wins en route to the Super Bowl.

The team was dealt a blow Oct. 22 when longtime teacher and football announcer, Peter Hume, sadly passed away at the age of 54. Schuylerville rallied around their fallen friend and dedicated the rest of the season in his honor.

“I think our seniors have raised the bar for the club in the future. I don’t remember ever having a club that never bickered or argued in the huddle,” O’Connor said. “At the end of games, they weren’t even sure of who scored because it didn’t matter to them. It just mattered that they got in the end zone and not who did it.”