The Bulldogs’ impressive season came to an end on Friday after a regional finals loss.

King’s Fork High School took a 17-7 home loss to Lafayette High School, which ended King’s Fork magical season. With the loss, the Bulldogs finish their season at 11-2, which is the best record in the program’s history.

The Bulldogs fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter. Heading into halftime, the Rams maintained the 7-0 lead.

But in the third quarter, Lafayette built its lead to 14-0 over the Bulldogs. King’s Fork got on the board late in the fourth quarter, but there wasn’t enough time for them to mount a proper comeback.

“We played hard,” Bulldogs coach Scottie Littles said. “We contained them for most of the night, but we did not execute on offense like we should have, and it came back to haunt us. I’m so proud of those guys. It hurts and stings, but these guys accomplished some incredible things.”

Some of those accomplishments included being the 4A region runner-up for the first time in school history. They earned the No. 1 seed in the region in school history. The Bulldogs even beat Oscar Smith High School for the first time in school history and ended the Tigers’ winning streak that had been ongoing since 2006. The Bulldogs also became the Southeastern District champions for the first time in school history. Their season ended after a 10-game winning streak. All of these things were accomplished in Littles’ second year with the program.

“Again, I am so proud of these kids,” Littles said. “They let us coach them hard, and they bought into what we were doing. At the end of the day, I am proud of these seniors. I am proud of everyone in my coaching staff. As a coaching staff, we hold our head high for what we have been able to do here in a short time.”

After the game Friday, Littles reiterated to his players that they had built a foundation that others will have to live up to. Last season, the Bulldogs finished 4-7 with a first-round exit in the playoffs. The growth of the year has been something Littles and his coaching staff have embraced.

“They didn’t become just better players over this past year, but they became better people,” Littles said. “They became better teammates, better sons and better brothers, and that is what it is all about. The relationships we have built with these kids will last a lifetime.”

Before the season started, the Bulldogs had their first goal digging event. The team put their goals in a zip-lock bag and buried them close to their practice field. It consisted of goals from everything off the field such as academics to on field such as championships. Littles said confidently he felt his players accomplished all of their goals, except for that state championship.