BY RICK REED News-Gazette Sports Editor Union City's football team took one on the chin Friday night, beaten soundly by a much more experienced Northeastern team by a final count of 47-zip. It was the last home game of the regular season for the Indians. While any loss can be a difficult pill to swallow – especially one in which you are on the wrong end of a lopsided score – there are some important things to keep in perspective about this year's group. As Coach Keith Maloy points out – and this is a bit jaw-dropping – many of the players on this year's team are all of 14 years old. Fourteen! These young players are playing varsity football against, in many cases, 17-year-olds. That type of age gap can't be overcome with talent. There is a massive disparity in experience. "When you are starting over from scratch, it takes time," asserts Maloy. "We are trying to build on the good things and eliminate the bad things. Things are really not as bad as they seem because we're getting better every day." The Indians have mainly freshmen and sophomores out on the field, junior Alec Spence is showing some great leadership, freshman quarterback Jayson Connor suffered a season-ending injury, but is part of a bright future. So Indian fans just need to be patient with this group. By next year, and over the next few years, the fruits of their labors should translate into success. This week presents a great opportunity to pick up a win as Union City travels to Union County (2-3) for a Tri-Eastern Conference game that on paper looks very competitive. The Patriots also were shut out last week, falling 7-0 at Winchester. They have posted wins over Cambridge City Lincoln and Knightstown. Two years ago, Union City won a 9-7 decision at home over the Patriots. The two teams did not meet a year ago. Union County has a 20-14 edge in the series over the past 35 years.