Tackling technique, blocking and footwork.

These are a few of the fundamental skills Coach Clay Weldy hopes to hammer into his Wildcats (3-3) this week after an underwhelming 62-7 loss to Nevada on Friday.

“We played as bad as humanly possible,” he said. “We showed no effort, played with no physicality, our execution was terrible and we had a ton of turnovers. We talk about doing the little things a lot, and those are those fundamentals. We didn’t do any of those, and it showed.”

The first half was all it took for Nevada to exert its will on Cassville, scoring 43 unanswered in the opening quarters.

The Wildcats’ defense started the game with gusto, forcing a fourth-and-short, but ultimately giving way to a 24-yard run to the right to go up 7-0.

Hernan Hernandez returned the kick to the 30, but a mix-up in the backfield on the first play saw the ball hit the ground and Nevada fall on it.

On the next play, the Tigers went 30 yards through the air and converted a 2-point play after an encroachment call.

Jake Anthonysz returned the ball to the 39, trucking a defense on the away sideline. Trey Wilson then crossed midfield, and Bodee Rose hit Garrett Ewing yo to the 20. However, the drive ended at the 11 on a fourth-and-2, with Wilson crunched a yard short.

Nevada went big on the next play, and 89-yard sprint to paydirt. A couple missed passes on Cassville’s next drive, one of which would’ve sent Ewing free and clear, and the wildcats were down 22-0 after one. The Tigers turned up the energy in the second quarter, seeing a 43-yard touchdown called back but finishing the drive with a 9-yard QB keeper.

The Tigers intercepted on the next drive, and again on the first play struck with a 37-yard score for a 36-0 lead with 7:15 left. Another fumble led to another 9-yard pass to the tight end for the 43-0 lead. Cassville threatened again to close the half, with Rose trucking another tackler to gain a first. He then found Wilson to the 42 and Ewing to the 10, but the drive ended with a missed connection on fourth-and-goal from the 11. The Wildcats found the end zone on the second drive of the third quarter, with Wilson running it up to the 23 and Jacobson gaining another first to the 47. Wilson then broke right to go 53 yards to paydirt with 1:43 left in the third. The Tigers added a 50-yard run for a score and capitalized on a fumble with a 14-yard haunt to provide the final scoreline.

Weldy said although he does not like to be receiving so many kickoffs in a game, his special teams played well. “That was probably the one bright spot is our return team did a great job,” he said. “Hernan also did well punting. We shouldn’t have that many returns in a game, but when the kids got the opportunities, they did a good job.” Weldy said looking toward Friday and another road battle with Springfield Catholic (0-6), a major emphasis on fundamentals will flood this week’s practice.

“It will be a process throughout the week,” he said. “Today (Monday) won’t be a fun practice or film session. Then, we’ll have to just go back to grinding and back to work. I’d hope after Friday we are a little bit humbled and can go back to the basics for a little bit, then we’ll see what happens on the road again Friday.” With the Wildcats’ first road loss of the season to Nevada, Weldy does not want to see a repeat in Springfield.

“They are pretty athletic when you look at the secondary and linebacker levels,” he said. “On offense, they have several tall, lanky players that can catch, and their quarterback is a great athlete that can throw, run and make plays.”

To counter the athleticism, Weldy said the Wildcats have to get back to the physical brand of Cassville football in which it finds success.

“We have to be physical up front on the offensive and defensive lines,” he said. “And, we have to do that basic, day one stuff.”

The Wildcats and Irish will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday.