It did not take long for the once green, grass covered football field at Duchesne High School to turn to an acre of pure mud and water. Dried mud caked every inch of the Wildcat players. Dirt filled mouthpieces, and stray grass and mud hung from the facemasks of player’s helmets. But the night could not have been any more glorious for the Wildcat players, because for only the second time in Westminster football history, the Wildcats took home the district title and claimed a spot in the Missouri State Playoffs.
The Wildcats 21-3 victory over Duchesne High School came in odd fashion in the wet muddy conditions, through the air.
Quarterback Zack Dorton, senior, had a season best 189 yards through the air, with 13 completions on 30 attempts with 1 touchdown and no interceptions.
“The MICDS coaches gave us this powder to rub on the ball that made it dry instantly. Every time I touched the ball during the game, I was surprised how easy it was to throw the ball. It was very nice,” said Dorton.
Running back Max Piazza, senior, also came through at key times during the game. Coming back from injury, Piazza averaged almost six yards a carry, pounding the ball between the tackles. Piazza ripped the game wide open on a 2 yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, that capped off a long drive, to give the Wildcats a fourteen to three lead.
“My knee still hurt before the game so we weren’t sure how much I was going to play, but I did get to play some offense and defense and I felt pretty good,” said Piazza.
The Wildcats defense, after giving up two long drives in the first quarter, tightened up in the second half, and only allowed one first down the entire second half.
“In the first half, we were missing tackles, and all of their big plays were getting to the outside. So in the second half, we switched our defense to help funnel everything back inside and we got people to the ball much better,” said Cory Snyder, defensive coordinator.
Snyder’s defense on the season has been solid, Allowing an average of only 12 points per game while helping the Wildcats to an 8-2 record. The Wildcats 8-2 record is tied for the best record in Wildcat history.
“One thing we have never been able to do is go 8-2 and win the district title. The only other time we won the district, we went 7-3 in 2006. So this is definitely a historic season,” said JD Perona, head coach.
While the Wildcats are excited about their solid season, they are not content to end it yet.
“The next step for us is to win a playoff game, something our program has never done before,” said Perona.
The Wildcats, class 4, district 6 champions will take on the district 5 runner-ups, the Normandy Vikings who also went 8-2 on the season. The first round playoff game will take place at seven o’clock on Wednesday at St. Charles High School.