The Wright City football team has its sights set on making the 2025 season an unforgettable one. 

“I think we should have the best Wright City season ever,” senior Dayton Humphreys said. “Everybody’s been putting it together, going to the field every day and we have a lot of guys that want it this year.” 

The Wildcats are coming off a 5-6 campaign that included two shutouts and a district playoff win. Building on that, the team put in a strong offseason, showing commitment and intensity throughout the summer. 

“I’m very encouraged by what we’ve done up to this point. It’s been a strong summer and a good first week,” Wright City coach Tyler Rickard said. 

Despite graduating 11 players, Wright City returns experience and depth, especially with its largest senior class under Rickard with 16 players. Team captains Humphreys, Quinn Schnarre and Ayden Dile will lead the way. 

“We have a talented group and the biggest senior class I’ve had,” Rickard said. “Anytime you have that big senior class, that’s going to help a lot, because you’re going to bring a lot of experience.” 

Dile emphasized his team’s strong chemistry and ambition.  

“We have a lot of people showing up, a lot of aggressive players and just a lot of drive to play and win,” Dile said. 

That buy-in has created an evident unity, which is something Humphreys believes sets his team apart. 

“Everybody really is a family and loves each other at the end of the day,” he said. “Everybody’s willing to fight for each other no matter what the circumstance is – this is a great team to be a part of.” 

Humphreys returns as the starting quarterback for his second year on varsity. He was picked as an Eastern Missouri Conference selection last year. Rickard says he has taken major strides. 

“(Humphreys) being back is huge. His arm is stronger, he’s smarter and the game is starting to slow down for him, which is big,” Rickard said. 

Next to Humphreys will be new starting running back Benji Rodriguez. Rodriguez led the team in tackles last year with 105. While he will continue to play defense, offense will be his top priority this season. 

“He’s quick and he’s strong. He’ll remind you some of the previous guy (Duan McRoberts) we had with how he plays,” Rickard said. “He has a great vision to be able to make cuts and he’s going to be a dynamic back in the backfield that we can also throw the ball to.” 

Rickard said with the addition of new assistant coach John Klekamp, his team looks strong defensively. Klekamp was the head coach at Montgomery County for 15 years.

“I’m really pleased with our defense and we have a good veteran group there,” Rickard said. “We brought in Klekamp and he’s bringing in a lot of wisdom and he’s meshed really well with the guys.” 

This year, the Wildcats will be gunning for a conference championship game appearance. 

“As a program, that’s where I want us to be. I want us to be one of those top one, two teams in the conference,” Rickard said. 

“We have some hard teams in our conference, but we’re going to be fighting for that,” Dile added. 

Furthermore, Wright City wants to find itself in week 12 of the season. 

“We just want to make something happen and leave a stamp on the school,” Humphreys said. 

However, the focus remains simple. 

“We want to always go 1-0. I say that all the time, but that’s always the goal, each and every week,” Rickard said. 

Wright City begins its season at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 at home against Warrenton.