Football moves to 4-1 after win over Nevada

Sydney Hoover

Junior quarterback Bryce Mohl receives a snap as running backs senior Mason Clark and junior Darren Winans anticipate the handoff.

The De Soto High School varsity football team took another win against Nevada (Mo.) High School on Sept. 30 with a final score of 35-0, moving their record to 4-1.

The Wildcats had never faced the Tigers before, but after a big win against Frontier League rival Paola High School the week before, they were confident they would get the results they hoped for.

“They [Nevada] run a very similar offense to what we run, and they run the same defense as we’ve seen in the past few weeks,” head coach Brian King said after the game against PHS on Sept. 23. “I’ll be honest, once we get out of the Frontier League, things tend to go pretty well, and I hope that’s what continues [against Nevada].”

The game started similar to the PHS game, with several miscues and turnovers by both teams. However, the Wildcat defense was able to hold Nevada off throughout the first quarter and get the ball back in De Soto’s possession. With a touchdown by junior running back Trevor Watts with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter, the team was able to settle and was on a roll from then on.

“That first touchdown … really set the tone. Our offensive line came out there and set the tone right away, and our defense came out lights out,” senior fullback Mason Clark said.

Watts scored another touchdown with a pass from junior quarterback Bryce Mohl with 48 seconds left in the first quarter, making the score going into the second quarter 14-0 Wildcats.

Though the Wildcats were unable to score throughout the second quarter, several huge plays by both the defense and the offense allowed them to hold their lead against the Tigers. A 51-yard run by Mohl set the Wildcats up for a first down on the 13-yard line. After an unsuccessful attempt on a fourth down, the Wildcats turned the ball over to Nevada.

However, an interception by senior defensive back Chance Montgomery brought the possession back to De Soto on the 27-yard line. Nevada regained control after an interception on a pass from Mohl to Watts. Shortly after, another interception by Montgomery allowed the Wildcats to hold their 14-0 lead on the Tigers at half.

DHS only increased its lead during the third quarter. A 5-yard touchdown run by Clark and a PAT added by junior kicker Ethan Rodriguez put the Wildcats up 21-0 with 4:52 left in the third quarter. Clark scored again on a 3-yard run with 42 seconds remaining in the third, making the score 28-0 De Soto going into the fourth quarter.

The Tigers were in control going into the fourth quarter, but the De Soto defense was able to hold them yet again, with the third DHS interception of the night by junior linebacker Trevor Gress at the 50-yard line. This allowed Watts to score his third touchdown on the night with a pass from Mohl, making the score 35-0 Wildcats. A Nevada fumble recovered by senior linebacker Matt Graves with 1:55 left in the game allowed De Soto to claim its fourth victory of the season, making their record 4-1.

King was happy with the win, and was especially impressed with the defense “pitching a shutout … They played some good, disciplined football. They defended the optional really well, they were killing the diving and smoking the quarterback and running to the pitch,” King said. “They were staying active in the secondary and making sure nothing got behind us in the pass game, so I was very proud of our defense.”

King was also able to take many of the starters out during the fourth quarter and get some more players varsity time due to De Soto’s huge lead.

“It’s nice to get other guys in, get some of your twos and threes [in], work on some of your depth and get some more kids playing time,” King said.

The Wildcats will play away at Baldwin High School on Oct. 7 in their last game before District play starts.

According to Clark, the team is preparing for the Oct. 7 game and Districts with “a lot of film, fixing all of our mental mistakes, and just practicing harder each week.”