What appeared to be a defensive battle in the first half in a game between Wright City and Montgomery County turned into an onslaught of offense for the Wildcats in a 39-16 victory Friday night. 

The win gives the Wildcats their second win of the season, and, more importantly, their second Eastern Missouri Conference victory, breaking a two-game losing streak.

A surprise onside kick to begin the game caught Montgomery County off guard and was converted to perfection for Wright City. Though the Wildcats turned the ball over in the possession, the onside kick set a tone right away for the Wright City offense. The onside kick was one of two that worked on the night for the Wildcats.

Wright City Head Coach Jeff Sargent said watching film in the week gave him the idea.

“There was some stuff I saw on film,” Sargent said. “Just watching that stuff and with how much we practiced it, and we made it a point of emphasis that you have to get the ball back. The kids definitely went with it and did what they were supposed to do.”

After a Montgomery County turnover, the Wright City offense came to life. A 60-yard drive was capped off by an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Sean McDonald. A failed two-point conversion made the score 6-0 with five minutes remaining in the first quarter.

It was the Wright City defense that really shined on the evening. To open the second quarter, Montgomery County drove the length of the field, only to have the Wright City defense stop the drive at the 1-yard line.

Sargent was very pleased with his defense’s performance on the night. 

Montgomery County quarterback Ethan Abercrombie went four-of-nine passing for 79 yards. 

“We made some changes this week,” Sargent said of the defense. “We got more of our backups reps so we were able to rotate a bunch of people in and out. It really showed.”

After a safety put Montgomery County on the board early in the second quarter, Montgomery County took the lead on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Abercrombie to Corey Kroll to take an 8-6 lead with 4:31 left in the first half.

On its first possession of the second half, Wright City marched 80 yards down the field with a touchdown drive capped off by an 18-yard run by Joe Phillips. The junior led all rushers on the night with 12 rushes for 96 yards and two touchdowns. 

The drive gave the Wildcats a 12-8 lead with 9:48 to go in the third quarter. 

After completing just three passes for 21 yards in the first half, McDonald completed five-of-six passes in the second half for 110 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59-yard strike to junior Dakota Phillips in the fourth quarter to extend the Wright City lead to 25-8.

“Everyone played great,” Sargent said. “Joe Phillips played great. Everyone did their job. That definitely helps.”

Devon Holmes also had a big game for the Wildcats. The senior caught a 30-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but also had a big interception in the third quarter to stop a Montgomery County drive at the 50-yard line. Junior Jaime Malta also rushed for a touchdown as part of his 15 carries for 95 yards. 

Montgomery County added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but it was too late to stage a comeback. The 18-yard rushing touchdown by Hyrum Bishop was part of just 153 yards rushing Wright City allowed on the night.

Wright City wraps up the regular season with conference foe Bowling Green on Friday in Bowling Green.