When the Montgomery County Wildcats traveled to Bowling Green to take on the Bobcats on Oct. 9, they were trying to do something they haven’t done since 2008 – beat Bowling Green for the third consecutive time.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats left Pike County with a loss as they fell 55-34. MCHS had its three-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Eastern Missouri Conference play.

Last year, MCHS knocked off the Bobcats twice last year, both were at home and by the same score, 42-6. The Wildcats beat Bowling Green in a Week 7 game to pick up their first win over the Bobcats since 2019. A month later, MCHS beat the Bobcats again in the Class 2, District 2 championship game for their first district title since 2005.

With the win over the Wildcats on Friday, Bowling Green extended its winning streak to three games and improved to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in EMO play. The Bobcats have averaged 49 points a game this season and have scored more than 40 points six times this season.

The Wildcats will look to bounce back this Friday against the Wright City Wildcats in their home finale. MCHS defeated Wright City in each of the last nine meetings, including a 26-20 overtime victory on the road.

The Wright City Wildcats will take a 3-4 record and a three-game winning streak into the contest with the MCHS Wildcats. John Klekamp, who headed the MCHS program for 15 years before he stepped down after the 2024 season, is in his first year as Wright City head coach this fall.

“It’s going to be a nice game against Wright City, especially after last year,” MCHS senior Owen See said. “I’m excited.”

Eight seniors will play their final home game on Friday. They are See, Jack Barker, Dallas Hans, Isaac Hinkel, Conor Mays, Lafe McCurdy, Troy Quesenberry and Tyler Rodgers, Most of them have played with the MCHS program since they were freshmen. Managers Sarah Waters and Noah Lacy are also seniors.

“Those guys have worked their butts off for us and we’re proud of them,” MCHS coach Matt Smith said. “We don’t want it to end. We want to try to get another home game in districts, so that’s what we’re shooting for.”

The Wildcats wrap up their regular season on Oct. 23 with a road game against Louisiana.

Currently, the Wildcats are ranked fourth in the seven-team, Class 2, District 2 tournament field, which would give them a home game in the district quarterfinals if the season ended today. They’re part of a field that includes Valle Catholic, Jefferson High School of Festus, Miller Career Academy, Duchesne, Hermann and Confluence Prep Academy Charter.

Smith said his team needs to pull off victories over Wright City and Louisiana in order to get a higher seed in district play.

“No. 1, we’re just trying to get a home game,” Smith said. “Then, we’re trying to be in a situation where we can not play Valle in the second round, if that’s the way it works out. We want to try to get to the 3 seed, but it’s going to be really tough. We have to play well. We got to win. That’s what it comes down to.”

McCurdy and sophomore Ben Cobb each scored two touchdowns and Hans had a touchdown to lead the Wildcats against Bowling Green.

MCHS trailed 41-20 before cutting the lead at 41-34 after getting touchdowns by McCurdy and Cobb in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats responded with two touchdowns later in the quarter to finish with a 21-point win.

“We talked about having some fight coming out at halftime,” Smith said. “We fought at times. I’m proud of them. The fight should be automatic, but we have to do a better job mentally. We mentally made a lot of mistakes.”

Smith was pleased with the effort from quarterback Jackson Benney, who threw three touchdown passes.

“He was a lot better than he has been all season,” Smith said. “He made some good plays and moved around the pocket. He made some good throws. We just got to help him. We have to catch the football when it touches their hands.”

Bowling Green surpassed its win total of four from last season. The Bobcats had won four consecutive district titles before the Wildcats ended that streak in last year’s title game at Jim Blacklock Field.

“They’re much better than last year,” See said. “Their O-line is big and they tried their hardest. We fought to the end, but it didn’t end up working.”