Varsity football holds Bonner scoreless, moves to 2-0
Junior Max Garrett kicks off to Bonner Springs High School, eventually resulting in a 28-0 win, moving the Wildcats to 2-0
The De Soto High School varsity football team took another big win on Sept. 9 against Bonner Springs High School.
With storms moving in, the game start time was moved up to 5 p.m. rather than the usual 7 p.m.
The Wildcats were able to take the lead early in the game with a touchdown by junior Bryce Mohl at 3:11 in the first quarter. Soon after, Mohl scored another touchdown with 10:10 left in the first half. A PAT by junior Ethan Rodriguez left the score 13-0 at halftime.
The Cats came back with an exciting start to the third quarter, pinning Bonner deep in their own territory off a punt. Only a few plays later, junior Jack Barger was able to sack the Braves’ quarterback for a safety, and junior Trevor Watts was able to return a Bonner kickoff for a touchdown, leaving DHS up 22-0 with 9:26 left in the third quarter.
The game was called for a 30 minute thunder delay mid third quarter, but the Wildcats were able to hold their own when play resumed, keeping the Braves scoreless.
A bad punt snap by Bonner was recovered and returned for a touchdown by senior Nathan Umholtz, setting the Wildcats lead up to 28-0 with 11:30 left in the game.
DHS claimed their victory when senior Chance Montgomery intercepted the ball near the end of the fourth quarter, leaving Bonner scoreless with a final score of 28-0.
Overall, the team was proud of their win, as they had been predicted to lose in an 11-1 vote by KCPrep.
“The win feels amazing. It showed those that predicted against us that we aren’t a team to overlook,” senior Paden Bedford said. “De Soto football is coming back, stronger and faster than anyone can imagine.”
According to head coach Brian King, the DHS defensive line “showed up big time,” though he said the win was definitely a team effort.
“Number one, you’ve got to talk about our offense. First half, they did a really good job. They were able to get us started and get us rolling, but our hats are off to our defense. As athletic as a group that was, and the points they put up week to week, our defense showed up big time. And then we had some big time special teams,” King said. “It was a group effort on all three phases of the game.”
The team is set to face Louisburg at home on Sept. 16, one of the “toughest tests of the season,” according to junior Jack Barger.
“We’re off to a fast start but now we have a target on our back. A football team can never have too much physicality and to beat Louisburg we’re going to have to be the most physical team,” Barger said. “We’ll have to be even more prepared for some Frontier League football.”
