After the rough start last week against Cy Springs, the Wildcats were ready and eager to add a win to the record. Most were expecting that a win would not happen until a few weeks later, but it came much sooner than anyone thought. The Wildcats, in a very heated fourth quarter battle, managed to defeat the Rams 35-34 by preventing a two-point conversion with less than two minutes remaining in the game, securing the win. This was the win the team and the fans needed in order to re-energize them with hope for the rest of the season.

Offensively, the Wildcats made significant improvements since their match-up against Springs last week. While it still took some time to get consistent momentum going, once it was moving, the offensive line came out in force, scoring 29 points in the second half. Also, the offense was much better at being less predictable by the defense and varied their receivers more often. With senior Jacob Kainer still out with an injury, the offensive line has had to adjust their game plan with sophomore Jackson Jones as starting quarterback in his place. Compared to last week, the offense showed much better cohesiveness as a unit which showed especially in the second half. However, there is still room improvement. The offensive line seemed to have communication issues between the players on the field and the sidelines. For several plays, the ball was about to be hiked when it had to be stopped because of communication issues between the field and sidelines. This often slowed the game and took away the Wildcats ability to surprise the Rams defense. Despite this, the offensive line has clearly made big improvements in how they play, and it paid off tonight with their win.

On the defense, the Wildcats provided a formidable opponent against the strong Rams offensive line. The defense often held the Rams to fourth down conversions; however, they failed to hold the Rams again several times throughout the game allowing the Rams to slip through. They were excellent at defending against a rushing game but struggled to defend against passing. Many times, fourth down conversions were completed with a pass. This may have not been as big an issue against Ridge, who depends more of rushing yards, but it can pose a huge problem to future opponents who lean more towards passing. The fourth down conversions could also be simply explained by just over-zealousness especially towards the end of the game which allowed for the Rams to continue to keep such a tight score in the fourth quarter. While there is clearly still some work to do, the defensive line performed very well tonight, greatly contributing the success of the Wildcats.

Between an already strong defense and a growing offense, the Wildcats not only proved that they can win, but that they are a significant competitor in the district. This win against the Rams has shoved the Wildcats back into the competition for district champions and showed everyone that the Wildcats are growing stronger by the game and are on the move.