Watching from the sidelines in frustration, there was little more Coach Jeff Sargent could do but reiterate the same message he had been imploring all week during practice. Despite his pleas, the Wright City football team simply could not stifle the dominant running attack of Bowling Green during a 54-0 Week Four setback last Friday.

“It was pretty simple,” said Sargent. “We couldn’t stop the run. I made it a point of emphasis all week, but we were not able to do that. We were outplayed and out coached.”

After beginning the season 3-0, the Wildcats received a humbling awakening during their Eastern Missouri Conference opener. They managed just 134 total yards of offense, limited to only 36 yards on the ground.

Bowling Green quickly imposed its will, going ahead 15-0 after one quarter and 35-0 by halftime.

“They set the tone in the first quarter on the first series,” said Sargent. “They ran the ball. We stopped them that time, but they were persistent and kept pounding.”

Sargent says his team struggled to match the Bobcats upfront, outmanned by a defensive line that consistently found its way into the backfield. That same Bowling Green front opened gaping holes for ground attack.

“They controlled the line of scrimmage,” said Sargent. “They have three guys that I feel are first-team all-conference players, and they were phenomenal. They ran the ball behind those three the entire time.”

Wright City had experienced breakthroughs in its offense the previous two weeks, but the immense pressure and limited time for decision-making made for difficult execution this time. Junior quarterback Hayden Beck finished just 5 of 16 for 98 yards, throwing one interception.

“They had a better game plan and created more opportunities than we did,” said Sargent. “There were some things that should have gone our way on our early pass plays, but that doesn’t change the fact we have to perform better.”

Bowling Green’s first five touchdowns came on short yardage run plays, before it scored on a 15-yard pass play and closed out the contest with a punctuating 58-yard touchdown run.

“Our goal is to always to make teams throw against us, because we know our defensive backs are often going to be better than their receivers,” said Sargent. “They weren’t able to complete one pass to the wide receivers. But since we couldn’t stop the run, they didn’t have to rely on passing at all.”

Senior Dalton Wiser led the Wildcats with 40 yards on 15 carries.

Junior Jake Smith had a team-best 74 receiving yards on two catches, while junior Ian Wolff totaled 24 yards on three receptions.

Wolff also collected a sack, along with sophomore Demetrice Le Noir.

“This week we have to understand that we expect to get better and will,” said Sargent.

Wright City travels to face conference rival Montgomery County on Friday at 7 p.m.

“I don’t have to say much this week,” said Sargent. “They’re going to be 100-percent focused.”