The cliche “all good things must come to an end” fit the Florida Firecats perfectly as they carried a six-game winning streak to Tennessee Valley, where they where thinking of making it 7-0 last Saturday night.

The Firecats had good reason to be confident, after all they had dropped 62 points on the same Vipers squad previously in a home opening win on April 12.

The second meeting between the clubs, however, resulted in a different outcome. Now, for the first time, the Firecats have tasted the bitterness of defeat with nearly half the season gone.

“It’s easy to buy in (to a coach and system) when you win,” says Firecats line coach Dominic Bramante. “It’s through adversity that (a team) finds out truly how strong they are. We can think of countless teams, in every sport, where a season turned on a loss, but it’s through losing that you find your resolve, your true identity.”

With the loss fresh in their minds, the Firecats (6-1) must get ready to play the South Georgia Wildcats (5-3) Saturday night at Germain Arena.

Their first loss can have one of two impacts on the team. It either will bring them crashing back to earth, causing doubt about their impressive start and sending them on a downward spiral.

Or, it will be a reality check, one that proves that winning, especially on the road, doesn’t come easy. It takes hard work and preparation, every week, to win.

“It was a tough loss,” said Firecats coach Kevin Bouis. “All losses are tough, but the guys are taking it as a positive thing. We knew we had some areas we needed to improve and they got exploited, and so now we know we need to get better.”

Bouis said last weekend’s loss might have been just what his team needed.

“A loss will bring you down to reality. It will bring you down to where you have issues and where you need to get better,” he said. “So far the guys have been responding well to (their first loss). They are showing up and practicing hard and trying to get better.”

Fortunately for the Firecats, they have veterans like Brent Burnside to help others get over the bad taste of defeat.

“We have a short memory. We know we have to move on from a loss. We know you take the mistakes you made and you correct them, but it’s forgotten. It’s all about South Georgia right now, that (loss) was last week and it’s time to move on right now.”

The Firecats’ resolve will be tested by the Wildcats, who are tied for second place in the arenafootball2’s South Division, behind the first-place Firecats. The Wildcats will be motivated after losing to the Firecats 51-41 at home in April.