LAST WEEK, THE EUREKA
community lost another member of its Wildcat family. On Monday, Sept. 29, 17-year-old senior Natalie Timm passed away after she was involved in a single-car accident the previous night.
A wave of purple and gold emotions came pouring into MHS’ football stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“We dedicated this game to her and her family,” said EHS’s quarter back Brett Geisz, senior. “We also put stickers on our helmets with her initials and a cross on it.”
The sun almost seemed to illuminate the field of play like a spotlight for the short time that it was shining.
After a moment of silence in honor of Timm, the Mustangs set to kick off to EHS, ranked sixth in the area.
The Wildcats, starting from their own 10-yard line, couldn’t amount to a successful drive and were forced to punt it away.
The Mustangs came out of the gates strong after starting from EHS’s 48-yard line.
Running back Jack Whitworth, senior, found a huge hole and took it to the 29-yard line.
That was all running back Demarco Johnson, senior needed.
Johnson drove the rest of the way for the score and with 10:00 left in the first quarter, the Mustangs led the Wildcats 7-0.
EHS came back marching.
The Wildcats took it all the way to the Mustangs’ 21-yard line before their drive was squelched by senior John Jackson’s interception in the end zone.
A couple of carries by running back Jack Whitworth, senior, and a huge pass from quarterback Jason Powers, junior, to wide receiver Cairon Wesley, junior, put the Mustangs at EHS’s 15-yard line.
On fourth and 12, kicker Charlie Kreh’s, senior, field goal try was no good and the Wildcats returned it to the 40-yard line.
The Mustangs eventually recovered a EHS fumble at their own 25-yard line but quickly went three-and-out.
With 9:20 left in the second quarter, EHS’s Cam Nisbet, senior, dove in for the score, tying the game at seven.
The momentum very rapidly changed hands.
EHS punched it in from the one-yard line and with 4:46 left in the first half, the Wildcats led the Mustangs 14-7.
“We wanted to establish a running game and I think we did a great job with that,” Geisz explained.
MHS brought in Murray to punt after their next drive and EHS came back with another score to increase the lead to 14.
After the half, the two teams traded punts until the Wildcats capped off another impressive drive with a kick through the uprights.
With 4:24 left in the third quarter, the Mustangs trailed EHS 24-7.
Even after a Wildcat unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Mustangs had to bring their punt team back out.
EHS’s running back Stephen Erutti, senior, capped another Wildcat drive with another score, increasing their lead to 24 with 9:09 left in the game.
The Mustangs knocked on the door of EHS, driving to their 5-yard line but the purple-and-gold’s goal line stand capped off the Wildcats’ 31-7 rout.
Head coach Matt Klein said that he was proud of the way his team started out the game.
“It’s something we had a problem with early in the season,” he explained. “We came out with a lot of energy, scored first, moved the ball, got a couple of turnovers, so that was big when you’re playing a team as good as EHS.”
Despite this, he added that the Mustangs need to work on making plays in one-on-one opportunities.
MHS will travel to Parkway South to take on the Patriots tonight at 7 p.m.
“We’ll turn it around and be ready to rock and roll and work on fundamentals and get ready for Parkway