After a hard loss at Bishop Miege on Oct. 20, the De Soto High School football team bounced back with a 44-0 rout of Eudora at home on Friday, Oct. 27. With this win, the team finishes the regular season with an 8-1 record

“To get a win after a hard loss like Miege it’s really big for our team,” said senior linebacker Jack Barger, who also subbed in a running back against Eudora. “Especially before playoffs too, just to get our mindset right before the games really matter.”

Despite facing a team that did not pose much of a challenge, head coach Brian King emphasized that the Wildcats are always looking to push themselves and rise above the competition.

“We always talk about [how] it’s going to be us versus us … we’re always going to make sure we’re talking about this game [as] us versus us and make sure we take the step forward,” King said.

The team also secured its second straight Frontier League title on Friday, winning all games against league opponents this year.

“[The league title] says a lot about the quality of the leadership we have with the kids of our program, and our coaching staff that have stuck around,” King added. “It’s great to take those steps forward, and it is a reflection of how hard these kids have worked.”

Looking ahead, the football team faces Tonganoxie in the first round of the State playoffs on Nov. 3, a game King says will depend on preparation and execution.

“It’s all about who shows up at the showdown … these games are won by the teams that make the fewest mistakes, so we’ve got to be sharp,” King said.

Over the past few years, the Wildcats have experienced early exits in the postseason, which makes staying on the present a priority for the team.

“We’re just taking it one week at a time. We’re just going to treat [the playoff game] like it’s a regular season game with just the same amount of pressure,” Barger said.