Finishing with a 1-9 record will not spark unbridled enthusiasm, but optimism is acceptable as the young Talawanda High School football team saw improvement this fall.

First-year head coach J.D. Vonderheide said on Monday that he looks forward to the start of 2013 because his young team has most of its starters back and will have learned from the mistakes of this year.

Next year’s team will have 10-of-11 starters on offense back, and will have 9-of-11 starters on defense, based on players moved around during the course of the season. The kicker and punter also will be back.

“Add into the mix this year’s freshman players who just went 8-2,” Vonderheide said.

The junior varsity team was not as successful, but that was, in part, due to so many of the sophomores and juniors who might have played on that squad getting meaningful varsity playing time.

The most noticeable of those was sophomore running back Maurice Thomas, who did duty as a receiver and returner. He finished the season with 2,305 all-purpose yards, highlighted by 1,303 yards rushing and 15 rushing touchdowns.

“Maurice had the second-most season yards in school history,” the coach pointed out.

Thomas added three more touchdowns on kickoff returns with 713 yards on 25 returns. He also finished with 267 receiving yards on 19 catches.

His touchdown and rushing yardage totals were more than the entire team managed a year ago.

“What he was able to accomplish, numbers wise, is impressive,” Vonderheide said. “The offensive linemen are asked to do different things that go unnoticed in a thankless position, but Maurice Thomas would echo the feeling that everyone contributed and everyone got better.”

The team, as a whole, improved their skills and worked hard to turn the program around from a team that had won just one game in two years.

“The numbers more than doubled from what was accomplished last year. To a man, every kid who played offense this year got better. Maurice Thomas could not do it alone,” the coach said. “I’m happy for the kids who bought into the system. I think we let opponents score enough points on mistakes, but that’s something we can learn from. Those are correctable mistakes.”

Pointing to the season opener with Monroe, Vonderheide called it a winnable game.

“We were a play or two away from winning that game. It came down to five plays. Then, we let Eaton slip away (in the third game of the season). Crucial plays turned the tide often this year. With the Monroe and Eaton games, maybe we’re 2-1 going into league play. That can make a difference in a season.”

The defense often was in a change mode as coaches worked to find the right combinations on the field, often dealing with injuries.

“Defensively, we were changing personnel and even the system at one point in the season,” he said.

“It will not be lack of talent in the future, but figuring the best way to use that talent that will be the difference,” Vonderheide said. “I’m pleased with the progress. Early, it was easy for teams to find ways to score on us. Later in the year, they had to work hard to find ways to score.”