Losing hurts, especially when a high school football program had gone more than a calendar year without having to handle a defeat. Years from now, recollections of 12-1 as a final record will positively glow for the Jeannette players and coaches who were a part of it this season. On Saturday, after Aliquippa had put that lone loss on the Jayhawks' ledger, and won the WPIAL Class AA championship in the process, 12-1 didn't feel so good. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we didn't seize the moment," said a wistful-sounding Michael Dent, Jeannette's senior tight end-defensive end standout at a solemn post-game press conference. But Dent also captured the essence of the day at Heinz Field when he continued, "We put our hearts out there, and that's all you can do, really." Exactly. Give maximum effort. Accept the results. There are losses that disappoint, and there are losses that haunt. This is an example of the first. Aliquippa was the better team on this day, dominating total offense 252-87 and winning 18-4 despite having one touchdown called back because of a holding penalty. Jeannette missed early opportunities to score points, but over the course of the day, the better team prevailed. In the immediate aftermath of the game yesterday, this distinction was of small consolation to those pledging allegiance to Jeannette. Eventually, it will make a difference. Jayhawks coach Bob Murphy seemed already to be making the transition. "You're never happy to lose. It's always disappointing," he said. "On the other hand, we're proud of what they've done." Murphy has reason to be proud. His team battled a talented Aliquippa team virtually even into the fourth quarter despite having injuries limit the contributions of A.J. Graves and William Acrie-Hall. Graves injured an ankle two games back and the running back-cornerback who was the team's leading rusher, was limited to nine carries and a net of 10 yards yesterday. He played even more sparingly on defense. Hall suffered a shoulder "stinger" early in the second quarte,r and the running back-cornerback also saw his playing time limited the remainder of the way. Murphy tried to downplay the impact of the injuries, but they restricted the contributions of two outstanding athletes in a game where the Jayhawks needed all the weapons they could muster. As it was, punter Eric Matijevic was one of the Jayhawks stars, averaging 39.3 yards on seven boots. When a punter is a standout, that's usually not a good sign. Jeannette played hard and well, but even at that, it's not clear that a healthy Graves and Hall could have swung the balance in favor of the Jayhawks. Aliquippa was -- is -- that good. The Jayhawks gave their best, and it wasn't good enough. "These guys played their hearts out today," Murphy said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that." No doubt at all. If Jeannette hadn't given the great effort, players would have left the door open to future regrets. As it was, they were left with what eventually will be pleasant memories of a great season that ended only with a loss to a better team.

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