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Zero point four.

That is the margin at which the Moffat County High School boys varsity football team missed the playoffs.

Less than one percentage point separated Moffat County and Palisade High School, the 16th ranked team in Division 3A.

Moffat County had an identical 6-4 record with four other teams in the state playoffs, yet will not get a chance to extend its season.

That is something future teams should take to heart, coach Kip Hafey said.

“I think we have a great core coming back and they need to use this,” he said. “They need to ask themselves, ‘How much more do we need to do to get rid of that .4 before we’re in?’ That little bit can make a difference — one more sprint, one more rep, one more catch, one more run, one more block — the list goes on, it’s that close.”

Steamboat Springs (10-0), Delta (8-2), Glenwood Springs (6-4) and Palisade (6-4) all made the Western Slope one of the toughest divisions in 3A football.

Those four teams will represent the league on Saturday, when the playoffs begin.

“Year in and year out, one of the teams from our league is in the state championship game,” Hafey said. “Usually one of the teams from our league is winning it, too.”

Moffat County managed to reverse its 4-6 record from a year ago with a large senior class.

With 13 seniors leaving for next year, their influence on the team will be missed, Hafey said.

“I’m happy with the season,” he said. “I think this team had a lot of great things happen. We had great senior leadership. The thing about these seniors was they stuck it out, and they are going to be missed.”

Hafey said several seniors have considered playing at the next level.

“Some have talked to me about that, interested in playing at the next level,” he said. “Whether that is NAIA or Division II, it could be in the future for some of them.”

The seniors helped the Bulldogs smash their way to a fifth-place finish in the Western Slope League.

With wins against Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, Rifle and Montezuma-Cortez High School, the Bulldogs took care of other Western Slope League teams.

An opening night win against Berthoud High School got the team off to a fast start, and Moffat County won its first three games before falling, 34-6, to Palisade on Sept. 25.

At times, the Moffat County offense appeared to be unstoppable.

The Bulldogs scored more than 50 points once, and more than 40 points twice.

Quarterback Matt Linsacum complemented the run-heavy offense, passing for 679 yards and 12 touchdowns.

But injuries to running backs Jasen Kettle and Pablo Salcido allowed Palisade and Delta to shut down the Bulldogs’ attack.

The Bulldogs scored 206 points this year, regardless, while the defense proved strong, as well.

Lead by seniors Todd Stewart, Jordan Wilson, Brian Ivy, Nathan Tomlin, Linsacum and Scott Mann, the team was able to bully its opponents.

In nine games, the team only allowed 184 points, trailing only Steamboat, Delta and Palisade in the Western Slope League.

Hafey said the team’s strong performance could have lead to a playoff berth.

“We feel like we could be a team that could be in there,” he said. “But we didn’t make the cut this year. They had a heck of a year and we finished on a high note with a big win.”

Despite the Bulldogs not making the playoffs, Hafey said the year should be counted as a success.

“It’s always better to be in the playoffs, and without a doubt I feel bad for the kids and the coaching staff,” he said. “They all put their heart into it and worked their tails off. These kids have nothing to hang their head about. They had a great year and ended up 6-4.”

Hafey said the Bulldogs will need to start lifting weights and make a commitment to get better.

“It’s not always about talent,” he said. “It’s about who put in the hard work. They will need to say ‘I’m going to make myself better at this. We were right there, so lets take the next step and get in.’”