On an unusually crisp September night, Cy Woods gathered at the newly renovated Pridgeon Stadium with high hopes for the upcoming game against the Cy Springs Panthers. Despite Captain and Quarterback Jacob Kainer’s injury, many students and fans were confident in the Wildcats’ ability to defeat the Panthers. However, the game ended up going a little differently. The Wildcats were defeated by the Panthers with a score of 27-9.

After the hiatus caused by Hurricane Harvey, the football team had only two weeks of practice under their belt leading up to the game. This definitely showed tonight because it took some time for the Wildcats to get their momentum going, but once they had some of it by the second quarter, the defense was able to fend off Springs’s offense much better. The offensive line was also playing better too by that point but still struggled to add points to the board. Unfortunately, during the fourth quarter, the Wildcats seemed to be losing their momentum as the quarter went by which can obviously be attributed to them tiring, but it allowed the Springs offense to continue widening their lead later in the game. If the Wildcats can find a way to get their momentum going earlier on and hold onto it longer, there could be much better games in the future.

The offensive line struggled to establish a solid passing game along with rushing. By the end of the third quarter, the Wildcats had only thrown a total of 40 yards. This hindered the offense because the Springs defense could easily predict upcoming plays and adjust accordingly. With that, the Wildcats repeatedly used a very clear offensive pattern that helped the Panthers predict. Often, the same player would be passed or handed off the ball for several plays in a row leading the Panther defense to covering them more. If the offense can find a way to vary who their passing and handing to more players that could make it harder for the opposing defense to predict upcoming plays, and with the hope of Kainer’s soon return, the offense can better establish a passing and rushing game and score more points.

This was a rocky first game for the Wildcats, but there is still a whole season ahead of them. The first game is not always an indicator for the rest of the season, so as far as anyone knows, the Wildcats could somehow go undefeated for the rest of the season. With more improvement in their stamina and coordination, the Wildcats have the potential to be a big contender in the district again.