It was Morningside’s most successful football season ever and coach Steve Ryan says that’s why it was so tough to see it end. After posting the school’s first-ever unbeaten regular season the Mustangs made it all the way to the NAIA semifinals before falling to St. Francis of Indiana. He says this group of seniors is really special as they’ve been starting for three or four years and it was his first recruiting class. Ryan says they really would have liked to play for a national championship, but says he really wanted one or two more weeks to coach the team and be around them.

Ryan was asked if it’s tougher to get a program to this level or keep it there. He says he doesn’t know the answer to that right now and will know in a few years. He says they have to continue to recruit good players to fill the gaps left by graduation.

Ryan says a season like the one that just ended will give everyone in the program added confidence. He says confidence and belief are powerful forces in football and he says winning helps you go into the next season with much more than the year before. He says it creates desire and competition in the team.

Several standout seniors have ended their careers but Ryan says some younger players have been waiting for their chance. He says they feel they have some excellent players ready for the opportunity to step forward. Ryan says they’re anxious to see how those young players will step up and respond.