JACKSON, Mo. — Cardinal Ritter football coach Brennan Spain didn't sugarcoat what happened Friday evening.

"We had an opportunity to take the lead and we just didn't execute," Spain said.

The Lions fell 23-20 to host Jackson in the season opener for both teams.

Cardinal Ritter fell short of a fifth successive season-opening victory.

"We have a group that still needs to understand what it means when you come into an environment like this, you have to take advantage of each opportunity," Spain said. "We missed opportunities. Kudos to (Jackson). This is a hostile environment, but we missed those opportunities. If we want to be a championship team, we can't do that."

Cardinal Ritter (0-1), the No. 2 small school in the STLhighschoolsports.com preseason rankings, fell to 0-2 on Jackson's

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