Next goal: Playing a full four quarters

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

Cassville’s football team kept its goose egg in the loss column on Friday, putting together its most complete offensive performance of the season in a 54-13 road victory over McDonald County.

The Wildcats scored on their first four possessions and built a 27-7 halftime advantage before pulling away in the second half to improve to 4-0.

Clay Weldy, Cassville coach, said the Wildcats showed improvement in several areas, particularly up front.

“I thought we played better tonight,” he said. “That’s probably the best we’ve played offensively. We threw the ball when we needed to, and I thought we ran the ball really well and played really well up front.”

Cassville wasted little time establishing its offense.

After McDonald County’s opening possession ended with a turnover on downs, the Wildcats went 64 yards on their first offensive series, capped by Kellen Weldy’s 58-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep. Masin Bryan provided a key block on the play.

The Wildcats then capitalized on a McDonald County fumble, with Tyler Hodge recovering at the Mustangs’ 25. Jaren Stearns bought time in the pocket before finding Bryan on a late route for a 25-yard touchdown, giving Cassville a 14-0 lead with 6:12 remaining in the first quarter.

McDonald County answered with a touchdown, but Cassville responded immediately.

Following a 37-yard option run by Stearns, the Wildcats pushed their lead to 21-7 with 3:10 left in the first quarter.

Cassville’s defense forced another turnover on downs early in the second quarter, and the offense extended the advantage on its next possession.

Easton Hughes broke through the middle and outran the defense for a 43-yard touchdown run. A bad snap on the extra point left the Wildcats ahead 27-7.

Cassville’s defense then held McDonald County out of the end zone for the remainder of the half, while the Wildcats took the clock down to end the second quarter.

After the break, Cassville needed just 20 seconds to score again.

Stearns took the opening snap of the third quarter, kept the ball and weaved through the defense for a 60-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 34-7 with 11:40 remaining in the third.

Cassville’s offensive line continued to create running lanes as the Wildcats drove deep into McDonald County territory on their next possession.

After Mace Bredeson converted a fourth down at the 4-yard line, Weldy swept right and powered through contact at the goal line for another touchdown. Stearns followed his blockers for the 2-point conversion, making it 42-7 with 5:41 left in the third quarter.

The Mustangs answered with a touchdown late in the quarter, but Cassville continued to pour on the offense.

With the Wildcats leading 42-13 entering the fourth quarter, Hughes broke through the middle for a 22-yard touchdown with 10:03 remaining.

Cassville’s second unit then added another score late in the game. M’Quade Farris broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown run with 1:37 remaining to make the final 54-13.

Weldy said the performance was a product of improved execution from the offensive line and skill players.

“If we can run inside and outside, we’re going to have success,” Weldy said. “And I thought our line played really well from our inside schemes and our outside schemes.”

The Wildcats also received contributions from players throughout the roster, including younger players who saw extended action after Cassville built its lead.

Weldy singled out Farris for his performance against McDonald County’s first defense.

“We had a lot of guys touching the ball, a lot of guys doing good things, and then we brought our second group in, and M’Quade Farris makes a couple good runs against their one defense,” Weldy said. “I was really proud of him.”

Bryan, meanwhile, credited the work of both sides of the line for the offense’s continued production.

“We feel pretty good — we’re rolling,” Bryan said. “I give it to our offensive line and D line. They’ve given so much hard work, and they protect us.”

Bryan’s touchdown catch in the first quarter was one of several plays in which the Wildcats’ blocking helped create opportunities. The senior said the consistency has come from repetition during the week.

“I think it’s just continuous practice,” Bryan said. “We don’t ever get breaks. We don’t ever get breaks until it’s right. We run the same thing over and over until we get it done.”

With Cassville sitting at 4-0, confidence is high heading into the second half of the regular season. Weldy said maintaining that confidence without losing focus will be important as the Wildcats move into the more demanding portion of their schedule.

“We’re confident right now,” Weldy said. “The big thing is we got to stay healthy. I have talked about that, about taking care of our bodies.”

He also stressed the importance of staying grounded.

“We talked about being confident but not arrogant and being humble,” Weldy said. “Take these wins, take a step forward every time you get to go win. Use it to capitalize, but don’t become arrogant and forget what got you there.”

Despite the lopsided score, Weldy said the Wildcats still have areas to improve. Cassville gave up a late touchdown after having an opportunity to get its younger players on the field earlier, and Weldy said the team needs to eliminate lapses in concentration.

“I think we’re still working on trying to play a full game,” Weldy said. “We had little lapses here and there, just staying focused.”

For Bryan, the 4-0 start has created a strong belief in what the Wildcats can accomplish.

“I think our confidence is through the roof right now,” Bryan said. “I think we’re gonna keep rolling, and I think with the help of our coache, we’re gonna secure something big.”

Bryan also made sure to credit the coaching staff and teammates for the team’s start.

“I want to thank my coaches,” Bryan said. “They put us through the hard work, and our offense and our line, both sides of the ball, they help tremendously.”

For Weldy, the focus now turns toward keeping the Wildcats healthy, improving their execution and making sure Friday’s performance becomes a building block rather than a stopping point.

“We’ve got things we’re working on — playing four quarters and just finishing everything out,” Weldy said.

Stats from Friday’s game were not available as of presstime.

Cassville hits the road again this week, traveling to Granby to take on East Newton (1-3). Kickoff is at 7 p.m. 

As of last week, the Wildcats were ranked No. 3 in Class 3 behind St. Pius and Maryville. Week 5 rankings were not available as of presstime.