Richmond coach Nick Persell is proud of the season his Spartans had this fall in varsity 11-man football.

Persell and the team, however, wish the season had ended differently, he acknowledged.

It ended with a 34-0 defeat to Maryville Nov. 14 at Maryville in the Class 3 District 8 title game. With the livestreamed defeat, Richmond finished 8-3 – the program’s sixth winning season in seven campaigns and fourth eight-win season this decade.

“We did a lot of good things throughout the season, and I think our kids should be really proud of it, as should our community,” Persell said Monday by phone.

As Persell pointed out, those “good things” included a share of the Missouri River Valley Conference (MRVC)-East Division title. The Spartans finished 4-1 in MRVC East play to claim a share of the division title with Holden and Knob Noster, giving Richmond its first MRVC East co-championship or outright title in varsity football since 2020, according to Persell.

Other achievements included a season re…