After his final high school football season came to an end on Nov. 22, Wyatt March wasn’t planning on taking a break.

So, the Montgomery County senior did something he hasn’t done since his freshman year – play basketball with the Wildcats.

“It’s my senior year,” March said. “I decided, ‘Why not?’”

So far after two months, March hasn’t shown any rustiness. He has been one of the Wildcats’ top performers, scoring in double digits in several games –  including one against Van-Far on Feb. 3 at Ballew & Snell Court – and earned a pair of all-tournament awards.

“My teammates are trusting me and they’re giving me playing looks,” March said. “I really give it all to my teammates for letting me get open looks.”

Three years ago, March was one of nine freshmen on the junior varsity team. This year, he’s one of nine seniors. 

All of the seniors, including March, will be recognized on Feb. 13, when the Wildcats celebrate senior night against Louisiana. They will also have a courtwarming ceremony.

March is looking to help his team finish with its seventh straight winning season. He’s part of a team that lost seven players, including all-state players Clayton Parker and Andrew Moore, to graduation.

“We lost a lot of good players, but I think we’ll get back in the swing of things and start winning,” March said. “We just have to keep playing team basketball.”

The Wildcats took a 10-10 record into their home game with Mark Twain on Feb. 10. They have five regular season games remaining.

Last fall, March helped the MCHS football team win nine games and capture a district championship. He earned all-Eastern Missouri Conference and all-district honors.

March joined the boys basketball team in late November. The following week, he scored 25 points in three games – including a 15-point effort against Fulton – in the Montgomery County Invitational Tournament. The Wildcats placed second in that event.

“It was definitely different because football is more quick and basketball is more conditioning,” March said. “It took a little bit of use to condition my body and get adjusted to a different sport. I felt pretty good. It wasn’t too bad.”

March said he became interested in basketball again after participating in summer workouts.

“I was getting into the swing of things during the summer and that’s pretty much why I decided I wanted to play,” the senior said.

On Dec. 29, March scored a team-high 19 points to lead the Wildcats to a 50-40 win over Macon in the Peak/Sport and Spine Shootout at Moberly Area Community College. MCHS was trailing 38-36 late in the fourth quarter before closing out the contest with a 14-2 run. March scored eight points during that run.

March said the effort against Macon gave him a boost of confidence.

“That game was exciting,” he said. “That kind of started my scoring. Ever since then, I’ve been kind of in a rhythm in shooting. I got some confidence after that game. Since then, I’ve been scoring efficiently.”

Two weeks later, March earned all-tournament honors at the South Callaway Tournament after scoring 47 points in three games. He scored 19 in the Wildcats’ 54-52 win over Russellville in the championship game.

March earned his second all-tournament award at the Hermann Invitational Tournament on Jan. 31. He turned in a 20-point effort against Wright City in the consolation semifinals. MCHS lost to St. Clair in the consolation finals.

March scored a team-high 17 points in the Wildcats’ 56-48 loss to Van-Far on Feb. 3. He scored 11 points in the second half. 

The senior said even though he was pleased with his strong offensive effort, he was disappointed that his team suffered the loss. The Wildcats lost their second straight Eastern Missouri Conference game after winning 43 in a row.

“I definitely wished we could have gotten that one,” March said. “It’s going to make (the conference title) a little hard now with two losses.”

March also plays golf for the Wildcats in the spring. He earned all-EMO honors twice and helped his team win a league championship last year.