Getting back to the basics was the ticket to success for Cassville last week, and the Wildcats are hoping to take some confidence and momentum from a 45-0 win over Springfield Catholic back home for Senior Night and a matchup with Lamar.
The first half against Catholic on Friday went the opposite direction for Cassville (4-3) than it did in Week 6, with the Wildcats putting up 35 points.
“We played really well defensively, created some turnovers and gave ourselves short fields,” said Clay Weldy, Cassville football coach. “When we stopped the dumb penalties and missed assignments, we got out of our own way. After our first possession, we got better. Our fundamentals showed really well on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.”
The game started slow and was riddled with penalties, with Catholic at one point committing three false starts and Cassville an encroachment between snaps, and Peter Littlefield clanged a 42-yard try off the goal post on the first drive.
On its second drive, Cassville played a goal line package all the way down the field, nickel-and-diming to a first down at the 14, where Bodee Rose finished the job.
Cassville then fumbled after an Irish punt but blocked the next one, and on the first play, Rose hit Trey Wilson for a 25-yard touchdown strike.
The Wildcats’ next drive was more their style, with first downs from Wilson and Rose, then Wilson taking advantage of a sneaky reverse 50 yards to the 10. Jake Anthonysz finished the drive from 4.
Christian Tidwell intercepted a screen pass at the line on the next Irish drive, and the wildcats capitalized.
A 23-yard Rose run moves the ball to the 30, and Bryson Jacobson ran it to the 7. Wilson then drive to the 1 and plunged in a play later.
Springfield attempted a fourthand- long pass on its next drive, giving Cassville field position to score in two plays, a Rose run to the 10 and Wilson the rest of the way.
The Irish came out throwing, threatening to score, but Hernan Hernandez read a fade to the end zone and picked it off to give Cassville the turbo clock scoreline at half.
Receiving the kick to open the second, the Wildcats drove to their own 45, were Wilson found a lane and cut past the safety to go 55 yards to the end zone.
Jerryd Reynolds then partially blocked a punt to set Cassville up at the Irish 34, and the Wildcats’ backups finished the game from there.
Weldy said the four-score performance from Wilson was a products of how he’s practiced and played all year.
“Trey has been really good all year, including tonight,” Weldy said after Friday’s game. “We started blocking better receiver-wise and running back-wise on the edge, and that let him find some hols and play like he knows he can.”
Wilson said that fundamental work during last week’s practice was what pushed the Wildcats to open lanes.
“[Against Nevada], we didn’t have many great blocks,” he said. “We couldn’t hold our blocks, so we worked on that in practice and executed tonight. The linemen did such a good job opening up designed gaps and made it easy for me to run through them.”
The Wildcats will have a more disciplined line to content with this Friday, as Lamar (6-1) comes to Cassville after a 47-26 win over Nevada.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Wilson said.
