As Tyler Tuepker strode into the end zone after hauling in a deep pass on Friday, a wave of unfamiliar excitement swept across the Wright City football team. Finally, something to get fired up about. For a team that struggled its way through an adversity-filled 2011 season, electrifying scoring plays were far and few between. But there is a new sense of hope surrounding the team — and plenty of new faces, including Tuepker. “That was big for us because we haven’t thrown the ball too well in recent years,” said Coach Matt Brooks. “Those type of things are building more energy, and the kids are sustaining it.” Brooks was excited about his team’s performance following the Hermann Jamboree on Friday. The Wildcats scrimmaged against Cuba, Montgomery County and the host team. It was an opportunity to shine a light on new leaders and get a test from a familiar Eastern Missouri Conference foe. “We knew Montgomery was going to be tough,” said Brooks. “They’re going to be a good team in our conference. We’re going to have to reckon with them, and they kind of stung us on defense.” Wright City opened against Hermann, scoring three touchdowns and moving the ball with relative ease. Even the second team offense got in on the scoring action after starting quarterback Nick Hanff retreated to the sidelines. “Against Hermann we were able to move the ball pretty consistently right off the bat and put it in the end zone,” said Brooks. While the offense wasn’t as productive during its second test against Montgomery County, the Wildcats’ defense held up to Brooks’ content. “I thought our effort against them defensively was probably as impressive as anything,” said Brooks. “We did give up a score late on a tipped ball, but that’s a 50/50 ball that we could’ve got.” Wright City finished out the evening strong against Cuba, connecting on another touchdown through the air. The jamboree was a chance for several newcomers to emerge “I thought it was big for both parts of our program, varsity and JV, to have that level of success,” said Brooks. He has challenged his team to play with intensity every moment its on the field. “We had talked a lot about playing every minute,” said Brooks. “There’s 480 minutes in a season. When is your minute going to be?” The Wildcats open the regular season on Friday at 7 p.m. at Trinity High School.