Maybe Aerosmith was right. Because time after time, sports have revealed that “You’ve got to lose to know how to win.”

Let’s face it, losing sucks no matter what one is doing. But if it’s not an elimination contest, all one can do is learn from defeat, grow from it and become better. That’s not easy but neither is winning.

Sports history at every level is littered with examples of teams who snatched glory after tasting bitter defeat. Locally, Muncy football has provided the latest evidence.

The Indians bounced back from a heartbreaking opening week loss at Warrior Run and overpowered eight straight opponents via the mercy rule before Hughesville erased a late 13-point deficit and stunned them, 28-27, in the regular season finale. Losing against anyone hurts, but that goes double when its one’s biggest rival.

Instead of crumbling, though, Muncy pulled closer together. The Indians took the negatives from that game and turned them into positives. They picked up the pieces, put them back in place and responded by playing their best football yet.

That loss now is a distant memory as Muncy (12-2) won its next four games, captured its first District 4 Class A championship since 2020, set a program record for wins and reached the state’s Final 4. That defeat reminded Muncy about how it must go about winning and doing so has brought it to the state semifinals where it will face Bishop Guilfoyle Friday night.

“Especially after that Hughesville loss, we understand that we just have to keep trying to get better and better,” running back’linebacker Austin Johnson said following last Friday’s 41-17 state quarterfinal win against Delone Catholic. “One thing about this team is if we have weaknesses in a game and make mistakes we just keep trying to fix them. We just try and get better. That’s what we’re going to keep trying to do. We’re going to keep working because we know what we’re capable of.”

That fact left Muncy angry but motivated following the Hughesville game. All the team’s primary goals remained out there, so it was letting the past go and embracing the future. Muncy came back the following Monday and put together one of its best practice weeks.

Since then, the Indians overwhelmed Canton and Line Mountain in districts by a 98-20 margin before winning a classic first round state game against Lackawanna Trail, 47-46. Then came last Friday where Muncy reached unchatered territory, putting all three phases together and reaching the Final 4.

Maybe Muncy would have made this run anyway had it won that Hughesville game. Looking back, though, I’m not sure. Winning big week after week can sometimes make a team complacent. Sometimes bad habits can develop but they go unnoticed because one still produced victories in convincing fashion. That Hughesville game, however, seemed to shock Muncy back into a place it had to be in order to make a deep state tournament run.

That’s not taking anything away from Hughesville either. The Spartans had an excellent season, doubling their win total from the previous season, finishing 6-5 and also defeating District 4 Class AAA finalist Warrior Run. It was not really how Muncy lost to just that it lost.

Hughesville rallying and taking that game reminded the Indians they were far from invincible. It reinforced everything the coaches had been telling them. Looking back from Muncy’s perspective, it might have actually been the best thing that could have happened.

It’s not losing which measures an athlete’s character. It’s how one responds. Muncy responded like champions and, as a result, remains in the hunt for the state’s biggest prize.

“I thought we were peaking toward the tail end of the season and then we lost at Hughesville. I think it helped those guys come in and refocus,” Muncy coach Sean Tetreault said. “They had a heart to heart meeting, the seniors did, and they decided that, ‘We’re not going to leave a doubt about us being ready, about us being prepared. We’re going to come out fired up,’ and they’ve done a great job so far throughout the postseason.”

Eight nights after the Hughesville gut-wrencher, Muncy took its first step toward the Final 4, routing Canton, 56-14. A week later, the Indians captured a district championship and revealed how dangerous they can be, mercy-ruling state-ranked Line Mountain, 42-6.

Instead of growing content, Muncy grew hungrier and traveled near Lackawanna Trail’s home field to win a back and forth tour de force, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 75 seconds left. Muncy celebrated a hard-fought win as well it should, but it also came back focused and eager to work the next Monday.

It showed again last Friday as the Indians beat their third consecutive state-ranked team, totaling 537 yards and repeatedly making timely defensive stops. It speaks volumes, however, that moments after producing a historic win, Muncy players and coaches were talking about how much better they should have played; how much better they have to play going forward.

The work continues because it remains unfinished. Muncy faces a huge challenge against four-time state champion Guilfoyle but it will not change its approach. The Indians will focus on controlling what they can control, playing hard, playing for each other and moving onto the next play no matter the result of the previous one.

“We talk all the time about how winning isn’t an easy thing to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s one point, it doesn’t matter if it’s 30 points, winning isn’t easy,” Tetreault said. “It doesn’t matter how we get there, we jut have to get there.”

Getting to the Final 4 has featured some twists and turns. One of the things that makes sports great is their unpredictable nature. That is playing out again.

Because who would have guessed that such a painful loss could help produce some of the biggest wins in Muncy football history?

Because of that experience, Muncy continues trying to get better every day. It continues to dream on.

Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.