Four turnovers and critical penalties proved fatal for the Madill chances last Friday as the Wildcats dropped a 21-0 gridiron verdict to Tecumseh in the District 4A-2 opener.
The Wildcats slipped to 1-3 on the season and will face an even bigger challenge this week when they travel to third-ranked and unbeaten Tuttle.
Against Tecumseh, the Wildcat defense yielded a pair of first quarter touchdowns on a pair of scoring passes on back-to-back possessions. The Savages third on another toss from Hollin Barnes midway through the second frame. Barnes finished with 161 yards through the air.
TheWildcatshadopportunities but had one offensive touchdown wiped out by penalty as well as a dazzling 95-yard interception return score by freshman Joaquin Menchaka.
“I’m really proud of how our defense tightened up after the first quarter,” Madill head coach John Heavner stated. “Offensively we had some chances but just couldn’t get it in the end zone. We had two touchdowns that got called back. When you are turning the ball over and not scoring it puts your defense in a tough spot.
“I’m proud of the effort and the kids are fighting hard. If the defense keeps hanging tough and the offense can score some points I think we’ll have a chance in several games. We just have to keep up the same effort and battle through the injuries we have.”
In total, Madill finished the game with four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) and tallied 220 total yards offensively.
Junior Amari Winston fueled the rushing game with a solid performance that included 73 yards on seven carries. Justin Smith ran once for 21 yards and caught two passes for 74 yards.
BaylorBondcompletedsix passes for 96 yards. Three of those went to Uziel Flores for 12 yards and Talyn Reames checked in with one catch for 10 yards.
“Winstonhasbeenplaying a lot of defense but came in and gave us a good spark in the backfield,” Heavner said. “He’s been limited at running back because he’s been playing so much defensively but will probably have to pick up more carries.
“We’ve got a big test this week because Tuttle is an excellent football team. They are very well coached with some really good players. It’s a great opportunity for us to go to a good stadium and play a great team.”