One of the goals for the Wright City football team entering last Friday’s Class 3 District 3 opener was to get the ball into the hands of sophomore playmaker Jeremiah Davis more than it had during the regular season.

The Wildcats achieved that with tremendous success, dismantling host Orchard Farm in a 26-12 victory that kept their season alive. Davis delivered to the tune of 167 yards, scoring all four of his team’s touchdowns on just 16 carries.

“We didn’t just line him up at running back,” said Coach Jeff Sargent. “We used him all over, lining him up at quarterback and receiver. We made sure he got the ball.”

It was the second consecutive game in which Davis scored four touchdowns. 

“He still hasn’t gotten the ball more than 16 times in a game,” added Sargent, hinting at what may come during the Wildcats’ next round contest at Lutheran North on Friday at 7 p.m.

The Wildcats advanced in part due to catching Orchard Farm off guard which a fresh approach.

“We were exotic with our playcalling,” said Sargent. “We did some things that we hadn’t done all year, so it didn’t matter if they had any film against us. They were going to be forced to know how to stop it without being able to prepare for it.”

Davis laid the foundation for a 28-0 halftime lead with a five-yard run in the first quarter. He followed that up with three more scores of five, 22 and 82 yards in the second period.

“Anyone we try to get the ball to needs to be fast, and he’s got that track speed as a football player,” said Sargent. “The good thing about him is he has some agility and wiggle to him, where he can go east and west just as fast as he can north and south. There are some instincts like that you just can’t teach.”

With Orchard Farm starting quarterback A.J. Snow sidelined for the game, the Wildcats were able to focus their efforts on stopping running back Latterion West.

“We kind of knew what they were doing and we were able to shut him down,” said Sargent. “He’s better when there’s two threats in the backfield as opposed to one.”

West still amassed 121 of Orchard Farm’s 161 rushing yards, complementing 139 passing yards by backup quarterback Bryce Westerfield.

Not until the third quarter were the Eagles able to get on the board, when they broke a 61-yard touchdown run on a third-and-long situation.

Heading into the final period, Sargent began to send in his reserves in effort to prevent injuries to starters.

“We were more conservative in the second half with our offense,” said Sargent. “We should have scored a couple more times, but we made mistakes on the goal line that set us back. There’s a lot of things we still need to clean up.”

Senior Dalton Wiser aided the Wildcats’ ground attack with 68 yards on 11 carries.

Junior quarterback Hayden Beck completed 6 of 11 passes for 29 yards, throwing one interception. Five of his passes went to Jake Smith, for 25 total yards.

Beck returned the favor on defense, intercepting a pass by the Eagles.

Junior Ian Wolff added a sack and five tackles, while senior Drake Meyers totaled six tackles.

The Wildcats await a Lutheran North team that is 3-0, having started the season late due to St. Louis County COVID-19 restrictions. 

“They’ve got a lot of speed and talent, but I think we’re competitive enough to compete with them,” said Sargent. “It’s not about winning the game. We want to focus on winning each play, and that will get us the result we want.”