By Derrick Forsythe Record Staff Writer Having never beaten O’Fallon Christian during his career, senior quarterback Andrew Pfuhl was determined not to let his Wright City team watch its season end …
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Converted fourth down gives Wildcats late life
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By Derrick ForsytheRecord Staff WriterHaving never beaten O’Fallon Christian during his career, senior quarterback Andrew Pfuhl was determined not to let his Wright City team watch its season end at the hands of the Eagles for a second straight year.A desperate effort to keep what appeared to be a hopeless fourth-and-eight situation alive turned out to be a game-changing play in an eventual 28-17 victory for the Wildcats.It was sweet redemption for Wright City, which was dealt a 50-12 drubbing by Christian in the season’s final game.“They’ve been our kryptonite the past few years, and I didn’t want the trend to continue, especially with it being my senior year,” said Pfuhl, who completed 13 of 22 passes for 224 yards.The win earned the Wildcats their first appearance in a district title game since 2010. They will travel to Centralia on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff against the Panthers.Trailing 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter with the sense of urgency mounting, Pfuhl scrambled long enough to find junior Dakota Phillips on a deep pass completion down the sidelines. Moments later senior running back DeRenzo Blanks rushed in from 12 yards out, giving Wright City a lead it would not again relinquish during what was a back-and-forth game with a painfully slow start on offense.Neither team managed to sustain drives through the first 24 minutes, with Christian leading 6-0 at halftime after connecting on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 1:49 left in the first quarter.“For some reason we just start slow,” said Wright City first-year Coach Jeff Sargent. “They’ve just got to get the first hits out of the way. Normally it’s a series or a quarter, but this time it was a whole half.”The Wildcats defense bought time for the offense, with Trey Saddler and Clayton Sharp each snagging pivotal interceptions in the red zone.“I can’t say enough good things about our defense,” said Sargent. “They played phenomenal and made Christian earn every yard. It’s not like we didn’t have great coverage. As a team, we collectively kept winning on plays.”Sargent says the coaching staff identified some mismatches at halftime, and his players responded out of the locker room.The offensive established itself immediately into the third quarter, as senior Kyle Tuepker capped off a long drive at the 6:16 mark to put the Wildcats ahead 7-6.Christian answered with a 32-yard field goal, and the two teams would then produce more offense in the final two minutes of the third quarter than they had until that point of the game.“Finally, it just started clicking for us,” said Sargent. “We gained some confidence and really started moving the ball.”Pfuhl hooked up with senior Troy Muse on a 68-yard touchdown pass to give Wright City a 14-9 advantage, but the momentum was short-lived as the Eagles raced down the field to regain the lead on a quarterback keeper.“When they took the lead, it was OK,” reassured Sargent. “We weren’t going to panic or go into a different mode.”He says the maturity of his players showed, as they responded in pressure-filled moments. Muse began to increase his productivity late in the game, racking up 145 receiving yards on seven catches.“Our goal was not to just make it to the district semifinals,” said Pfuhl. “We weren’t going to go down without a fight.”The yards seemed to come easier after the initial touchdown by Blanks, who broke around the left side of the line for a 47-yard touchdown run to put an exclamation point on the victory. He finished with 122 yards on 24 carries.
Wright City quarterback Andrew Pfuhl looks to make a throw while a Christian defender hangs onto him in Friday's game. Derrick Forsythe photo.
