The De Soto High School football program held their annual Green and White scrimmage in the Wildcat Stadium on Aug. 26. Unfortunately, due to inclement weather that struck less than an hour after the Wildcats began to play, the scrimmage had to be cut short.

Along with DHS, multiple De Soto youth football teams scrimmaged before the Wildcats, followed by Lexington Trails Middle School and Mill Creek Middle School.

Senior defensive lineman Daric Coffee thought the scrimmage, although cut short, was still beneficial to the team.

“Even though the weather stopped us from being able to finish the scrimmage and get a real feel for a Friday night game, we were still able to find out what needed to be fixed,” Coffee said. “That will help us prepare for our season opener against Ottawa.”

As soon as the scrimmage “kicked off,” the rain began to fall, first as a light sprinkle. This did not seem to phase the team, still battling it out against each other. As the team continued to play, the rain began to fall harder and faster.

Senior cheerleader Olivia Shurtleff was one of the few who stayed through the rain to support her new team, being a transfer student from Mill Valley.

“It was my first time going to a game as a DHS student, so I wanted to stay and watch the team,” Shurtleff said. “Although the rain got pretty intense, I had a great time. It was a great day to be a wildcat.”

The only thing stopping the team was the weather. Eventually, the storm grew and lightning sprawled out over the sky, forcing the players and fans to take shelter for the time being. After learning play would not continue until nine o’clock, head coach Brian King, along with the De Soto administration, called off the rest of the scrimmage to ensure player, fan and student safety.

Although cut short, the team was able to show the citizens of De Soto what to expect this high school season.

The varsity football team plays against the Ottawa High School Cyclones at home on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 pm.