Like other postseason defeats, Richmond’s 35-20 loss to Cameron in the Class 3 District 8 Tournament was painful for varsity coach Nick Persell and his Spartans. But the pain from the Nov. 8 loss in 11-man football was different for a few reasons, Persell acknowledged. No. 1, as Persell pointed out, the Spartans were the top seed in the single-elimination tournament. Moreover, they were playing on their home field. “You never want to lose a football game, but it’s tough losing them at home. … (I’m) sad for our seniors and (I) wish we could’ve done more for them,” he said. Those seniors were Travis Cardwell, James Earl, Bryer Farnan, Jacob Johnson, Tristin McCoy, Tyler Pennington, Will Robinson, Chris Webb and John Weber. Persell praised them for the way they helped the Spartans rebound from 2023, when they went 4-6. Richmond finished 2024 6-4 – the program’s fifth winning campaign in six seasons. “(I’m) proud of the group of seniors for all they did, but probably most for their…