Wildcats take another hit
Varsity football team takes a big loss to the Spartans
Although the Wildcats were down by 31, they still played with speed and kept pushing. They were able to stop the pass game near the end of the third quarter and kept it that way. “The game was out of reach by the start of the 4th quarter, but you have to take advantage of the game reps and try to get better and continue to compete,” coach Seth White said. “I think our players kept competing in the 2nd half and played much better.”
October 6, 2021
On Thursday Sept. 30, the Wildcats traveled to Lincoln East to play in a district game.
The game started with Millard West kicking off to Spartan senior Jaelyn Welch. Lincoln East got off to a fast start with two passes for 55 yards and then a 15 yard touchdown pass. With the ball back in the hands of the Wildcats, they took a slower approach, but eventually got the ball down the field with many runs. This gave senior running back Nathan Pederson a short run attempt for a one yard touchdown. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Lincoln East was able to score yet another touchdown, this time a 49 yard pass on second and six. Shortly after, the quarter ended with Millard West in possession of the ball.
“The team needs to continue to improve,” coach Seth White said. “Adjustments get made every week and the players try to implement those adjustments and prepare for each new week.”
The second quarter began with the Wildcats punting the ball back to the Spatans and failing to stop their pass game once again. Lincoln East was able to throw three passes for 90 yards and scored another touchdown to grow their lead 21-7. The next Millard West drive was long and filled with short runs. Although they got stopped before scoring a touchdown, senior kicker Enrique Meraz kicked a field goal to get the Wildcats to ten.
“It felt good after hitting the field goal because it put points on the board and we gained a bit of momentum from it,” Meraz said. “The plan is to play smart and to play with everything we got, but to also have fun”
Following the field goal Lincoln East scored once again after a few long passes and put seven more points on the board. On the Wildcats final drive of the quarter they couldn’t get enough yards for a first and decided to punt again. On the kick, the Spartans got a block and were able to obtain good field position, where they were able to score their third touchdown of the quarter.
The third quarter was off to a slow start with the Wildcats punting early on, but Lincoln East kept their momentum flowing throughout the break. Senior quarterback Noah Walters threw a 57 yard passing touchdown to senior wide receiver Cooper Erikson. This required the Wildcats to make a change in their defense, to stop the constant points being put up by long passes. Although Millard West struggled to stop the pass game in the early quarters, something changed in their defense, and they were able to halt the Spartans from scoring until the fourth. Soon after, the quarter came to an end with neither team putting up any more points.
“We rarely play against a throwing quarterback as talented as the quarterback at Lincoln East High School,” White said. “Slowing down the passing attack was an emphasis, but ultimately we didn’t have much success in that area.”
The fourth quarter began with the Wildcats down 31 at a score of 41-10. Like the third quarter, it started off slow, but this time the pace didn’t pick up for either team. Neither team was able to get a first down on the first three drives, and the Spartans were only able to get one on the fourth. Nearing the end of the quarter Millard West had a three minute drive, but Lincoln East ended up stopping them. Although the Wildcats weren’t able to score, they stepped up and improved their defense, and stopped the Spartans long pass game.
The game ended with a score of 41-10 with the Spartans taking the win. The Wildcats now have a record of 2-4, and will be back in action against Bellevue West this Friday, at Buell stadium, at 7:00 p.m.
