The Montgomery County football team’s 50th season this fall was a successful one.

The Wildcats finished with a 6-4 record, tripling their win total of two from last season. They also had nine players earn all-Eastern Missouri Conference honors, six players on the Northeast Missouri all-district team and one player on the all-state team.

MCHS began its season on Aug. 25 with a 27-21 win over Hermann. After losing to Monroe City in Week 2, the Wildcats bounced back to win five of their next six games to finish with their fourth winning season in five years.

The squad will lose 13 seniors to graduation: Jacer Brower, Jace Ellis, Landon Massey, Dayton Simmons, Wes Cobb, Weston Marshall, Chase DeJesus, Bryson Hoffman, Mason Leu, Christian Naylor, Ben Rajchart, James Pollard and Kadyn Emily.

“The seniors really did a great job this year,” MCHS junior Tatum Wessel said. “They accepted the challenge and they’re just amazing.”

Leu earned all-state honors for the second year in a row after he was named third-team defensive back on the Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 2 all-state team. He also earned all-district and all-conference honors on both sides of the ball. Leu caught for 776 yards with eight touchdowns and finished with 74 tackles.

Ellis turned in a strong season as the Wildcats’ quarterback, throwing for 1,904 yards with 21 touchdowns and rushing for 585 yards with nine touchdowns. He also punted the ball 16 times for 641 yards. Ellis earned first-team all-district honors at quarterback and punter.

Brower caught for 758 yards with seven touchdowns, Simmons caught for 632 yards with eight touchdowns, Naylor made 37 tackles and kicked 10 points after touchdown, Pollard finished with 47 tackles and Hoffman had a team-high seven sacks.

The Wildcats also had banner performances from Wessel and three other juniors Trenton Birkner and Jacob Hogue. Wessel was named first-team all-conference and all-district linebacker after recording a team-high 106 tackles. Birkner finished with 52 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Hogue threw for 768 yards with six touchdowns and rushed for 337 yards with five touchdowns as quarterback.

The Wildcats also had wins over Mark Twain, Louisiana, North Callaway, Van-Far and Wright City. Against Wright City, MCHS came back from a 19-0 halftime deficit to win 34-33 in the battle of the Wildcats on Sept. 29 at Wright City.

The Wildcats’ season ended on Oct. 27 with a 27-14 loss to Hermann in a Class 2, District 2 quarterfinal game at Hermann. They also lost games to Bowling Green and South Callaway.

John Klekamp wrapped up his 14th season as MCHS head coach. He now has 64 victories with six winning seasons during his tenure.

Wessel said he hopes his team will finish with another successful season next fall. The Wildcats will begin their 2024 season with a home game against Hermann on Aug. 30.

“We have to work, work and work some more,” Wessel said. “We have to start leading now and show the young guys what needs to happen.”

The MCHS football program began in 1973 in the junior varsity level before it started playing varsity games two years later. During their successful history, the Wildcats won 21 conference championships and 11 district titles and earned a second-place finish at state in 2005.