Continuing a time-honored coaching tradition, Unity Christian’s Joe Curtiss spent the quiet hours of Saturday morning reliving the previous night’s game in his mind.

With the benefit of hindsight, he pondered the normal questions: What should I have done differently? What adjustments should I have made?

And yet, even in the midst of this self-interrogation, Curtiss found a point of solace, reminding himself that the result of Friday’s game — an 8-7 loss to Holy Ground — wasn’t the night’s most important element.

Rather, the magnitude of this particular game extended well beyond the scoreboard. For this wasn’t just the season opener for the Lions, but the birth of their varsity program.

It was the first of nine games the Lions will play this year in their inaugural season in the National Christian Schools Athletic Association.

“It was so much bigger than just what happened in those four quarters,” said Curtiss on Saturday afternoon. “These kids are building something here at Unity Christian, and this was the beginning. (Friday’s game) was much larger than just one win or one loss.”

The Lions, who are playing their home games this season at Pepperell High, will host Faith Covenant Academy this Friday in Lindale. That game, too, will be one for the record books, marking the team’s first-ever home game.

And so it will go all season for the Unity Christian program, with virtually every endeavor representing a “first” of some kind.

As for last Friday’s season opener, Curtiss admits the players probably weren’t able to truly wrap their minds around the significance of the occasion.

But Curtiss was able to, and so was the large collection of Lion fans who made the trip to Carrollton for the team’s inaugural contest. The night included a 40-minute lightning delay, but that didn’t dampen the mood.

“We had a great crowd from Unity at the game,” said Curtiss, “and everybody was so excited and so positive. And really, I think some of the people were surprised by the way we hung in there, considering this was our first game.”

To be fair, the Lions did more than just “hang in there.” They played splendid defense — allowing just five first downs on the night — and put together an impressive scoring drive on their first offensive possession of the second half.

Junior Reese Bryant scored the Lions’ first-ever TD with a two-yard run early in the third quarter to break a scoreless tie. On defense, Bryant (playing safety) teamed up with linebacker Josh Smith and freshman Tyler Baker to keep Holy Grounds in check all night.

The only touchdown the Lions allowed came against their special teams unit on a punt return late in the third quarter. Holy Ground then added the two-point conversion, which proved to be the difference.

“Our defense had a very solid game,” said Curtiss. “On the (punt return), we had the kid wrapped up, but he got loose, and went all the way.”

True to a football coach’s mentality, Curtiss was not satisfied with the game’s result, and noted that the Lions had actually been more crisp in their two preseason scrimmages than they were on Friday.

Still, he knows the score will eventually be forgotten. The night itself never will be.

“I had a blast last night, I really did,” said Curtiss, who previously served as an assistant coach at Shorter College and in an indoor football league. “It was definitely a special night.

“Obviously, I wanted to win the game, and I will always want to win every game,” he said. “But I also have (perspective) about it.

“There once was a time when I would stay up all night after a loss, staring at the ceiling,” he said. “But I thank God for letting me to get the point I am now, where I understand what’s important. I am very blessed to be in this position.”

After Friday’s game, Curtiss elected to give his players the rest of the weekend off.

“They’ve been working really hard,” he said. “They were worn out.”

That’s understandable. Making history can be tiring.