Win or lose in the Pine Tree Conference championship game against Skowhegan on Saturday, the 9-1 Edward Little football team already has had a fantastic season.

Last year, the Red Eddies went 1-7, despite high expectations. Part of this year's improvement comes from head coach Darren Hartley tweaking the lineup a little. But most of it comes from the experience gained during last season's struggles.

"I have 13 or 14 seniors who really took it on the chin last year," Hartley said.

Last season, Hartley said at the start of the season he expected the team to win four or five games and compete for a playoff spot. When that didn't happen, he had an administrator question him.

"He said maybe I shouldn't said we're a playoff team," Hartley said. "I asked him what he thought I should say."