The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy football team fell short of a playoff berth, but the Saints still were able to enjoy a winning season.

From 4-6 to 6-4 is what Saints coach Mike Biehl was able to accomplish in his second season with the NSA program. The record was good for seventh in the standings for the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II, one spot outside of the six that qualify for the playoffs.

Now that the season is officially over for the Saints, Biehl was able to take a step back and still be thankful for what he and his players were able to accomplish. Over the course of the season, the Saints executed week in and week out on offense and defense. Biehl believes they were playing their best football of the season at the end of the year, which is a good thing.

“As a competitor, you are always disappointed when you are not the one playing in the playoffs,” he said. “When you step back and look at the strides we made from this year to last year it makes you happy.”

Biehl believes he and his team have the formula to be successful going forward. The more time he gets to spend with his players, the better players can execute what is being asked. The goal is always to compete for a state championship, and Biehl wants to continue to put his team in position to do that going forward.

“I believe we have the talent here to accomplish big things,” Biehl said. “But there is a lot that goes into it. We have to be healthy, believe in one another and you got to be playing your best football right off the bat. We dropped a few early on before we were able to get kick-started.”

The Saints made progress in every facet of the game this season. However, Biehl will never be satisfied until he can put his team in position to accomplish all the things he feels they deserve.

After Biehl got the news that NSA was eliminated from the playoffs, he talked to his team and let them know he was proud of them.

“I just wanted to reiterate to them that I was proud of what we accomplished,” he said. “Some teams start off 0-3 or 0-4, and their season is over. I give my guys credit. They did not take the easy way out, and we finished playing some of our best football.”