Rain and slick conditions welcomed Wildcat football Friday night as the Wayne County High School team kicked off their 2020 season. The ‘Cats hosted Loretto with defense being the name of the game. The Wildcat offense could not get on track, managing only 98 yards. Loretto had only 137 yards of offense and scored the only touchdown of the night on a two yard run in the second quarter to slip by the Wildcats 7 – 0. The ‘Cats had an opportunity to score very late in the contest but were stopped on the 4 yard line with only seconds remaining in the game.
The first quarter saw the teams exchange punts several times. With 9:24 left before the half, Loretto got the ball at their own 49. It took them 10 plays to go the 51 yards for the only score of the night, on a two yard run. They kicked the PAT to make it 7 – 0. The Wildcats could not answer, but opened the second half on a positive note, getting the ball at the Loretto 25 as Luke Sesler came up with a fumble recovery. The Wildcats lost 16 yards in 6 plays with penalties playing a big part and were forced to punt. An interception by Loretto with 3:19 left in the ballgame looked to seal the win for the Mustangs, but they turned the ball back to the Wildcats with a fumble. The clock showed 2:19 when Chase Cummings came up with the ball for the ‘Cats, again on the 25 yard line of the Mustangs. The ‘Cats managed 6 plays and 21 yards before being stopped on downs at the Mustang 4 to end the threat and seal the win for Loretto.
Wildcat running back Timmy Robbins rushed for 45 yards on 10 carries and had one catch for 2 yards. Hunter Staggs carried the ball 6 times for 21 yards, while Austin Whitson had 3 attempts for 20 yards. Julian Burchett had 2 rushes for 7 yards, and Cade Crews had 4 carries for 3 yards. Crews was 1 of 6 passing for 2 yards with an interception. Clay Baugus rushed 3 times for minus 11 yards. The Wildcats were penalized 14 times for 90 yards in the game.
The defense was led by Hunter Staggs with 10 tackles. Chase Cummings had 7 tackles and recovered a fumble, while Luke Sesler had 6 tackles and a fumble recovery. Clay Baugus had 4 tackles, and Colton Beason, Brock Brown, and Damian Dickey each had 3. Spencer Turnbow had 2 tackles and broke up 3 passes, and Blayne Love, Austin Whitson, Eli McClain, Timmy Robbins, and Brian Austin Carlton each had one tackle.
The Wildcats go on the road this week as they travel to Summertown Friday night. Game time is 7:00 p.m. “WORK HARD WILDCATS!”—-Submitted
