Seniors on the Saint Mary’s football team left disappointed after falling 34-20 against the Moon Valley Rockets on Friday.

Senior night at Saint Mary’s started off strong in the first half with a touchdown by senior receiver Sam Bryant, who caught a 14-yard pass in the end zone.

Bryant, a four-year player who had just come back from a shoulder injury which kept him out for the past four weeks, was happy to be back playing with his guys.

 “Our passion has grown so much over the course of this year, and I’m just happy to be back,” Bryant said.

With just under two minutes before halftime, junior Seamus Sullivan ran for a touchdown to take the 17-16 lead over the Rockets.

The halftime show was packed, honoring seniors on both the football team and the cheerleading squad. Out of the 33-man roster, 11 of those members are seniors.

“This is the first group of kids I’ve had all four years, so it’ll be tough to replace,” said head coach Tom Brittain.

He acknowledged this game was a tough loss but is looking to “finish with a good memory and finish strong” in next week’s game against Thunderbird.

Patrick Sullivan, another senior for the Knights, has also been a member all four years. Like Bryant, Sullivan believes the team’s passion has really grown over the course of his time on the team.

“We care more. My freshman year it seemed like everyone had a distaste for working hard, but over the years it’s become more of a priority,” Sullivan said.

In terms of football, Sullivan believes he’s grown in other ways. He said freshman year he was scared to hit and scared of contact, but under Brittain’s leadership he has grown immensely since then.

Sullivan plans to pursue an education at the University of Dallas, and Bryant has received some offers from different colleges but is unsure where the future is going to take him.