Adversities seemed to come in every form last Friday, as the Wright City football team managed a 21-14 escape past Winfield to improve to 3-0 on the season.

The Wildcats were limited in both personnel and the ability to employ a diverse approach offensively.

“It just kind of seemed like we weren’t able to battle the elements,” said Coach Jeff Sargent. “We definitely felt like we had the game won, but no matter what we told our guys, it seemed like they were going to coast through for a victory. It became a very interesting game really quick.”

Faced with a torrential downpour much of the game, the Wildcats had to rely more heavily on the running game than usual. Junior quarterback Hayden Beck finished 8 of 15 passing for 68 yards.

They were also presented with the unique predicament of playing on a turf field for the only time all season.

“If you don't practice on it, it’s very challenging to change from grass to turf in less than a week,” said Sargent. “Also, for the past three weeks in a row we’ve had players cramping up, and we haven’t been able to adjust to handling it appropriately.”

All of Wright City’s points came during the second quarter, after falling behind 7-0. Senior Dalton Wiser reached the end zone on runs of 29 and 12 yards, while sophomore Jeremiah Davis scored on a one-yard carry.

“Jeremiah and Dalton are carrying the team with the run game,” said Sargent. “Hayden is pitching in a lot. Those three bring such a mix of different styles. Hayden is mostly power, Dalton is a mix of power and speed, and Jeremiah is so shifty and fast.”

Wiser finished with 110 yards on 25 carries, while Davis amassed 101 yards on 11 touches in leading the Wildcats to 239 total rushing yards.

It looked like the Wildcats would extend their 21-7 lead in the third quarter, when Davis broke a long scoring run, but the play was negated by a holding call.

“That was disappointing, but it still doesn’t take away from the fact that we did not play very well overall as a team. Other than the second quarter, they beat us,” said Sargent.

Winfield closed the gap with a short touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, putting the game up for the grabs during the final moments.

“We did not do what we needed to do to show up and show that we’re a great team, not just a good team,” said Sargent.

Wright City was led in the receiving department by junior Jake Smith, with four catches for 27 yards, while Michael Hicks also had a pair of receptions.

Defensively, junior Drake Meyers recorded six tackles, while senior Baylee Ramey had five takedowns. The Wildcats snagged two interceptions as a team.

Wright City will host winless Bowling Green this Friday in an Eastern Missouri Conference matchup.

“They don’t look like an 0-3 team, and I don’t think we look like an 0-3 team,” said Sargent. “It’s going to depend on whose going to control the line of scrimmage and make the plays on the outside. We want to run the ball and have a good balance of throwing the ball, but I’ll take our athletes over their athletes any day.”