As he and his fellow seniors walked off the field for the final time, St. Aloysius center Bash Brown said they passed a message along to their returning teammates.

“After getting the (runner-up) trophy, the first thing we said as we walked past the juniors was you better do better next year,” Brown said.

The message was crystal clear. Win a state championship, and make sure this year’s memorable run marked the beginning of an era and not the end.

St. Al lost 49-14 to archrival Cathedral in the Class 1A championship game Friday in Starkville. It was a disappointing end to a magical year that saw the Flashes set a school record for wins in a season and several individual marks as well, and reach the state title game for the first time since 1981.

The challenge now is to build on the 13-2 record as the seniors who helped turn things around pass the torch to the next generation.

St. Al will lose eight senior starters from this year’s team. Four of those — quarterback Connor Smith, and offensive linemen Drake Dorbeck, Jacob Kitchens and Brown — started for at least three seasons. Another, linebacker Casey Landers, was a two-year starter who led the team in tackles in 2013 and 2014.

“We’ve got a lot to build on, and these seniors left a good legacy. They took us places we’ve never been. For two years now, as juniors and seniors. I just hope these senior classes keep one-upping each other,” St. Al coach BJ Smithhart said.

While the Flashes will have to a lot of holes to fill, they should also have enough talent returning to make another run deep into the playoffs.

Running back DeMichael Harris set school records with 2,102 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns this season as a junior. Leading receivers Brandon Teller and Lane Hynum both return, as do starting linemen Josh Price, Bryce Richards and Ben Brown.

“We have a lot of key returners,” Harris said. “We’re going to miss some of our linemen, and our quarterback of course, but I think we’re going to be a whole team, a playoff team, and make a deep run again.”

Friday’s loss was humbling for the Flashes, who struggled in every facet of the game against Cathedral. After averaging 41 points per game, they were held to 214 yards and a season-low 14 points. The defense, which had generated 48 takeaways in 14 games, didn’t get any in the title tilt and was shredded for nearly 300 rushing yards.

Even though emotions were raw in the immediate aftermath, St. Al’s players and coaches were able to reflect on what they’d accomplished up to that point.

Unlike some of Mississippi’s football factories, where success is measured in championships and not just games won, St. Al’s 3 1/2-decade drought helped everyone involved appreciate this taste of success even more.

“It’s been an amazing year,” Smithhart said. “Every week just seems to add more and more to it. It’s just been a blessing to be a part of. I’m really proud of these kids.”