Loss to defending champs ends Panthers' playoffs

The Saratoga Panthers football team got off the bus at Saratoga High School around 1:30 a.m. Oct. 29. Hours earlier, a 62-0 defeat at the hands of football powerhouse Upton/Sundance had ended the Panthers postseason, but first-year coach Kegan Willford said the players had many reasons to hold their heads high.

It was Saratoga’s first post-season football appearance since 2011, and an auspicious debut for Willford’s coaching tenure. Because it had been five years since the team last appeared in the playoffs, none of the players had ever tasted the sweet ambrosia of play-off football.

“Hopefull...