After attempting a second-half comeback, the Wright City football team fell to Van-Far 40-34 on Oct. 11. The Wildcats are now 4-3 in the season and while the results did not go their way, they are hoping to bounce back. 

Going into halftime, the Wildcats trailed 24-14, and went down even further in the third quarter 32-14.  Wright City was able to make it a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to get over the hump. 

Head Coach Tyler Rickard was proud of the team’s response and ability to keep pushing throughout the game. 

“I didn’t make some good decisions tonight on some different things, play and calling wise, managing the game. So, I really kicked myself, because I felt like I let them down,” Rickard said. “But, I’m just really proud of them. There’s not one play that dictated that game.” 

Rickard went on to say that Van-Far did give them some challenges that they had to adjust to midgame. However, after making some changes, the Wildcats came out in the second half and responded. 

“We knew we had to throw the ball to be successful and so I’m proud of Dayton and our receivers because they responded. We got rolling and they kept us in the game. They gave us a chance,” Rickard said. “That’s huge for our offense and for our team as a whole.” 

Humphreys completed 12 passes for a career-high 235 yards. He threw two touchdown passes, including a 78-yard pass to Jersiah Higgins. 

Rickard noted Humphreys' progression has been tremendous throughout the season. 

“What’s great is we can talk on the sideline after a drive and talk about something they’re doing, and then we come back to the next drive and he makes the right read,” Rickard said. “His growth and maturation is going to go a long way in helping the football team be successful.” 

The Wildcats, who is a run-first team, struggled against Van-Far since they put five down linemen and many players in the tackle box, which contained much of the Wildcat’s run game. 

Rickard noted defensively the Indians were a physical team that were able to seal the edge and run off tackle. 

“We tried different looks, went to different fronts, different techniques, and we just weren’t able to consistently stop, but the kids never gave up,” Rickard said. 

After a tough loss, the Wright City football team is rallying behind the mentality of “E+R=O,” which is event plus response equals outcome. 

“We had the event, so what’s our response going to be? That’s going to lead to next week’s outcome,” Rickard said. 

He said that by judging the team’s attitude after the game, you could tell the loss hurt, but that also tells him their reaction is going to be positive come Friday. 

“They’re going to be ready to fight. I know they will. Case in point tonight, they never gave up and so I know they’re going to come out and they’re going to battle,” Rickard said. 

Wright City will play at Montgomery County this Friday at 7 p.m. Rickard said the team has struggled with Montgomery in the past, but it will be a great opportunity for the Wildcats to bounce back. 

Overall, Duan McRoberts scored one touchdown on a nine-yard run. Humphreys rushed for two touchdowns, the first on a 54-yard rush and the second on a three-yard scoring run. Kayden Allison had a 13-yard touchdown reception. Kaleb McCory added four extra points. Higgins caught four passes for 119 yards. Ben Rodriguez recorded 19 tackles and one interception.