Coming into the season, Wright City players, coaches and fans had a good idea of what the Wildcat passing game was capable of.With the senior duo of quarterback Sean McDonald and receiver Devon Holmes returning, fireworks were expected.And that’s exactly what has happened.Through five games, McDonald and Holmes have connected for 36 catches, 751 yards and six touchdowns while helping the Wildcats to a 3-2 record, including a 49-16 win over Van-Far last week.But it’s been the running game that has surprised people the most.Freshman Branden Contrares and junior Jayden Mahaney have given the offense a boost of their own, combining for 411 rushing yards and four touchdowns.Contrares — who didn’t get serious varsity minutes until the Sept. 8 win over Mark Twain — is averaging a team-best 11.2 yards per carry.In last week’s win over Van-Far he rushed five times for 108 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from McDonald in the third quarter.“Branden is just a great running back,” Head Coach Jeff Sargent said. “He has incredible vision, and he could grow to be 5-foot-10 or 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds. He has legit size, and there’s no doubt in my mind he can turn into a Division-I running back. He’s only played three games while knowing the playbook, and he’s only getting better. When you mix that with Jayden’s speed, those two are dangerous.”Mahaney got the Wildcats on the board against Van-Far with a 52-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.Holmes pulled down a 59-yard touchdown pass early in the second to give Wright City the lead.The senior finished with four catches for 132 yards.Romeo Cotton had the highlight of the night on special teams, returning a punt 56 yards for a touchdown in the middle of a 35-0 Wildcat run in the second and third quarters.Defensively, linebacker Jamie Malta led the team with 16 total tackles.Rickey McDonald added 11 to go with a fumble recovery, and Joe Phillips and Collin Schlapper finished with nine each.“On the defensive side of the ball, Collin Schlapper has been making plays all over the place, and I couldn’t be happier for him,” Sargent said. “Then we have Rickey McDonald, who was unreal last week.”The Wildcats (3-2) are winners of two straight after dropping a pair of games to Southern Boone and South Callaway in weeks two and three.For Sargent, the change within his program has been easy to see.“We’re working together as a team, and there really isn’t an ‘I’ factor,” he said. “I never want to say a loss helps you, but the South Callaway loss really did help us. It opened our eyes and made us realize we can’t do this as individuals. Certain kids might have good stats, but that doesn’t matter if the score is lopsided. They’re starting to realize that winning is more important, as opposed to their individual success. And when it comes to recruiting, schools will be more willing to offer you scholarships when you’re part of a winning program.”The Wildcats will look for their third win in a row Friday night at North Callaway, which has beaten its last four opponents by an average score of 50-9.The Thunderbirds (4-1) are led by running back Adam Reno and fullback Jordan Delashmutt, who have combined for 988 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.“I don’t think they’re as good as Southern Boone, but we need to stop No. 9 (Reno),” Sargent said. “Reno is a great player and he’s hard to stop, so we’ll see how that goes. It doesn’t seem like he wears down at all.”Sargent added that his team has scouted North Callaway well, and his defense will have a good idea of what plays are coming depending on the pre-snap formation.“That will help,” he said. “I’d like to get a little more aggressive on defense this week, because otherwise we’re going to sit back on our heels and just let Reno run all over us. I want their sophomore quarterback to beat us. I don’t want the senior, who no other team has stopped, to beat us. If we can hold him under 100 yards, I think we’ll win the game.”.WINNING AT THE LINE — The Wright City defensive line pushes the Van-Far offensive line back during last Friday's meeting. The Wildcats won, 49-16. Kory Carpenter photo.