In the previous 10 seasons since Bill Nees took over the Piqua football machine the Indians have always recorded a winning season. In fact, the last losing seasons the Indians suffered was in 1985 when Piqua finished 3-7 in the second year of the Steve Magoteaux.
To say the Indian faithful isn't use to losing would be an understatement. While just about every program throughout the area had their down years in the past two decades, the Indians just kept rolling along. It was just a matter of time before the numbers caught up with the Indians.
It took 17 years and 11 years under Bill Nees, but the numbers finally caught up with Piqua and the 2002 Indians as they finished with a 4-6 record.
It wasn't due to a lack of effort.
It wasn't due to a lack of talent.
And, It wasn't due to a lack of pride.
It was due to another brutal schedule and the breaks going the other way.
"The kids gave a great effort," Piqua football coach Bill Nees said after the season finale against Northmont. "Every season, you can look back at three or four games that could have went either way and came down to a couple plays. It seems like most years, we have gotten some breaks and had those plays go our way."
Regardless of the overall record, the 15 seniors who poured out their hearts on the field can look back at the season with pride.
After finding themselves in a deep hole with a 1-3 record to start the season, the Indians could have packed it in. They had just suffered tough losses to Grove City (17-14), Columbus Bishop Watterson (17-14), and Vandalia-Butler (21-7) and appeared to be down and out.
But, the Indians picked themselves up off the canvas to defeat their arch nemesis Troy, 9-6 and then shock Springfield South who was 4-1 coming into the contest, 22-14.
Playing their best football of the season, the Indians knocked around unbeaten Trotwood Madison in a very physical contest. Unfortunately, Piqua couldn't put enough points on the board and fell by the score of 16-7.
Still stinging from a hard-fought defeat, Piqua fell to Sidney 10-7 in what was the lowest point of the season for the Piqua faithful.
Like all true champions, Piqua again picked itself off the canvas in the final two weeks. First they defeated Greenville 25-0 and gave a very talented Northmont team all it could handle before closing out the season with a 17-0 loss.
Piqua looks to the future without 15 seniors who will be lost to graduation. This outstanding group of kids leave a legacy of winning after being a part of three straight playoff teams and a state runner-up team as sophomores.
Not too many senior classes can make that claim to fame.
