The Red Level Tigers put forth a strong effort on Friday night in the final game of the season, but fell 35-24 Friday night in Ariton.

“I felt like this was the first game that we played hard for four quarters,” Red Level head coach James Wise said. “We have been playing a good half, or good quarter but this was the first game that we put it together for four quarters.”

Ariton took an early lead, but Red Level fought back and only trailed 7-6 going into halftime.

At the end of the third quarter, Ariton was on top 21-13.

“The game was pretty close most of the game,” Wise said. “We have a few breakdowns with our corners, but they are just ninth graders and that’s something you have to be able to live with when your team is growing.”

Senior running back John Lee went for 210 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Lee has now rushed for more than 2,400 yards to become the all-time leading rusher in Red Level history.

“John is a great kid,” Wise said. “He has been an outstanding player for us all year. We have run the mess out of him, but he keeps getting back up and wanting the ball more.”

Colten Dorman added 85 yards rushing and one touchdown for the Tigers.

“It has been a tough season, but I’m still proud of this team,” Wise said. “We have to figure out how to always play for four quarters. If we could have done that all year and still lost, I could live with those results.”