The Wright City football team found its rhythm on Oct. 17, but then lost it again when it mattered most.

After forging a 20-all tie with a pair of fourth-quarter scores, Wright City faltered in overtime, falling 26-20 to visiting Montgomery County in the battle of Wildcats at America’s Heartland Stadium.

“We did some really nice things coming out of the half, our short passing game worked well,” Wright City coach Tyler Rickard said. “We just couldn’t make a play when we needed it there at the end. I thought we had a chance (to win it) with four minutes left if we could have just got going and gotten a first down.”

Trailing by the two scores, senior quarterback Dayton Humphreys scored on a 6-yard run with 10 minutes left, and then sophomore back Kayden McCurdy added the tying score from 1-yard with 6:43 left.

McCurdy said that, even though it wasn’t to be, he was proud of his team for showing the fight it did.

“We went in at halftime, and we talked about it (the rough first half),” McCurdy said. “I spoke, and I was really hoping the guys would listen and respond to our words, and they did.”

In the first half, Montgomery County struck first with 2 minutes, 8 seconds left in the first quarter on a 2-yard run by senior quarterback Adrian Combs, his first of four scores.

Humphreys then tied the game for Wright City (6-2 overall, 4-1 Eastern Missouri) on a 7-yard run of his own with 4:52 left in the opening half.

That joy was short-lived, however, as Combs rushed for a 58-yard touchdown just 18 seconds later. His ensuing 2-point conversion pass to senior wideout Wyatt March made it 14-6 Montgomery County at intermission.

“That’s the thing about Adrian,” Montgomery County coach Matt Smith said. “He goes out there and makes plays. He gets it done.”

At the end of the third quarter, Combs scored his third touchdown as a 1-yard run with 23.5 seconds left in the quarter, making it 20-6 Montgomery County.

Combs saved his best for last, though, as his 1-yard OT plunge for his fourth score ended the game. The score came after the Montgomery County defense forced Wright City to turn the ball over on downs, ending its overtime possession.

“This just feels great,” Combs said. “They played really well in the second half, and we knew we were going to have to work hard to win this game. This was a great team win.”

Montgomery County (6-2, 4-1) has now won nine straight games in the series, including a 33-28 win last season in which MCHS scored in the final minute to earn the victory. The Wildcats scored the final 20 points of the game to earn the come-from-behind win last season.

Up next, Wright City will head to EMO conference leader North Callaway (7-1, 5-0) for the final game of its regular season. The kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. on Oct. 24. The Thunderbirds defeated Van-Far in a Week 8 game.

Montgomery County closes its regular season at home against Louisiana at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24.

Editor's note:  A print version will be published in the Oct. 22 edition of the Montgomery Standard.