Wildcats drop home opener to Lovejoy

SULPHUR SPRINGS - The Sulphur Springs Wildcats hosted the Lovejoy Leopards Friday for their first home game of the season. The Wildcats were hoping to get their first win after losing 38-10 to Frisco Wakeland in week one.

Sulphur Springs won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, giving Lovejoy the ball to open the game. Neither team was able to find any offense until Lovejoy’s second drive, when they picked up a third down conversion and went on to score on a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback R.W. Rucker to Jaxson Lavender. The Leopards made the extra point and went ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter.

Lovejoy continued their momentum, forcing another Sulphur Springs three-and-out, and getting the ball at the Sulphur Springs 48-yard line. The Leopards drove inside the red zone and capped the drive off with a 10-yard touchdown rush by running back Noah Naidoo. The extra point was good, and Lovejoy took a 14-0 lead with 4:39 remaining in the first quarter.

The Wildcats were able to find their offense on the next drive, picking up a pair of first downs and advancing into opposing territory. Their drive stalled after a pair of incomplete passes that led to a 43-yard field goal from junior kicker Josh Tavera, putting the Wildcats on the board, 14-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Trailing 24-3 late into the second quarter, Sulphur Springs was able to find some momentum when defensive back Wiley Bennett recovered a fumble on their own 41-yard line. The Wildcats drove down the field and quarterback Kaden Wallace was able to find tight end Carson Fenton for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The extra point from Tavera bring the Wildcats deficit to 24-10.

Sulphur Springs got the ball to open the second half and immediately went to work on offense. The Wildcats offense picked up four first downs on the drive but would stall out in the red zone. Tavera knocked down a 28-yard field to make the score 27-13.

Lovejoy continued to move the ball on offense and went on to score 21 more points in the game, winning by a final score of 48-13.

Senior quarterback Wallace led the way offensively for the Wildcats, completing 14 of his 25 pass attempts for 117 yards and one touchdown. Other offensive leaders were running back Caden Davis, who finished with 50 rushing yards and Weston Fields who racked up 33 receiving yards.

Defensively it was senior linebacker Ryan Carrillo who filled the stat sheet, tallying 20 tackles in the game, 11 of which were solo tackles. Senior defensive lineman D’andre Peoples had three tackles in the game, two of which were tackles for loss.

The Wildcats will look to pick up their first win of the year this week, as they host Hallsville for their homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday.