The Wilsonville Wildcats faced off against the South Medford Panthers on Friday, September 1st. The game was supposed to be played in South Medford but due to poor air quality and weather conditions, the game was moved to Wilsonville. The Panthers are one of the top ranked 6A teams in the state, while Wilsonville is one of the top ranked 5A schools. The Panthers are led by star wide receiver Chase Cota, a four star receiver with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and many others. The Wildcats came into the game knowing they could keep up with the explosive South Medford offense, playing in front of Wilsonville fans always gives the cats the advantage.

The Wildcats game plan was to control the trenches by running the ball and chewing as much clock as they could to limit South Medford’s offense to step onto the field. I spoke with Wildcats Cornerback and Running Back, number 24 Trevor Antonson, before the game. I talked to him about the location change of the game and he said “ Yes, I feel like if any game gets changed to home it gives us the advantage — we know the field better than anyone else.” And of course having the Wilsonville community in the stands boosts the confidence of the team.  Also we discussed the game plan for South Medford and Trevor said,  “We prepared  just like any other game, watched film on them all week and studied their strengths and weaknesses, and worked in some things to use against those weaknesses”. Trevor showed he was prepared by his successful performance against the Panthers, he totalled two solo tackles and an interception on a pass intended to Chase Cota.

The Wildcats sadly fell to the Panthers 35-7 in a game that the score didn’t tell the story of the game. With 2 minutes left in the first quarter the Panthers only had a 7 point lead, at halftime the score was 14-0 Panthers. Even though the score doesn’t show it, the Wildcats played with heart. They kept up with one of the best teams in the state, they had some very successful drives and some not very successful. Regardless Wilsonville’s offense will look to start clicking in week 2 against Franklin.