Despite some bright flashes of offense, Dartmouth High’s football team ended its season on Thanksgiving Day with a tough loss to Fairhaven High 24-7 — their first holiday loss since 2011.

“It’s obviously not the outcome that we wanted, but it happens,” Head Coach Rick White said.

The Indians opened the scoring, with senior running back Ethan Marques entering the end zone after only a few plays on the first drive.

After keeping the Blue Devils limited to a field goal, Fairhaven would take control of the game following an injury to Indians senior quarterback Will Kelly near the end of the first quarter. 

“He was a big loss,” White said, noting that along with Kelly’s offensive skills, “he’s one of our best tacklers.” 

Following Kelly’s departure, the Indians would not have another score since the opening drive.

Dartmouth did threaten near the end of the half, but Marques, who took over quarterback duties, threw a pick with 30 seconds left.

The Inidians came close again after an 85-yard punt return from Marques took Dartmouth to the red zone early in the third quarter, but Dartmouth would turnover on downs at the goal line.

“You got to give Fairhaven credit, they didn’t make any mistakes today,” White said. “They made plays when they had to and we didn’t.”

While the season ended on a loss, the coach thought his team put in a strong effort against their holiday rival. White also hopes that the tough loss will serve as a good learning experience for next year’s squad, which will see 16 players return as seniors.

“We’ll hit the weight room this offseason and get ready for next year,” he said.