By Staff for www.mcpherson-county-ks.com

            BENNINGTON – Going on the road Friday, the Moundridge football team was led by Henry Hecox who threw for three touchdowns in leading the Wildcats to their first win of the 2022 season, 30-14 over Bennington.

With the win the Wildcats are now 1-1 for the young season and will return home next Friday for a battle with Wichita Independent.

At Bennington, Hecox connected with Logan Churchill for his first scoring pass of the game, this one being from 44 yards out to give the Wildcats an early 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Moundridge scored twice with one being another pass from Hecox to Churchill covering 37 yards this time while Joaquin Huff scampered into the end zone from 13 yards out. With Bennington getting a score in between the two Wildcat scores, Moundridge went into the halftime break holding an 18-6 lead.

Kaden Elmore closed out an offensive drive in the third quarter by the Wildcats by scoring on a nine-yard run giving Moundridge a comfortable 24-6 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes of play.

After Bennington scored to pull within 10 at 24-14, Hecox led the Wildcats on one more drive in the game before tossing a short, four-yard scoring pass to Barrett Moddelmog to close out their scoring for the game and give them the final 16-point margin of victory.

Despite the margin of victory, the Wildcats only held n 18-yard advantage in offense as Bennington rang up 262 yards to Moundridge’s 281. One spot the coaches will need the team to work on is penalties as the Wildcats were flagged 10 times for 90 yards. Bennington was flagged seven times for 60.

Hecox ended the night with 237 yards in total offense as he threw for 187 yards while running for another 50. Logan Churchill had a huge night taking four pass receptions and covering 125 yards while Barrett Moddelmog caught five for 62.

Defensively, Moundridge was led by Joaquin Huff who recorded 10.5 tackles that included eight solo stops and a quarterback sack. Barrett Moddelmog was in on seven solo stops and 10 overall while Lane Durst earned credit for 7.5 tackles and Hecox had seven. Banky Hayes notched six tackles of which 1.5 was for sacks and 2.5 amounted to a loss of yardage.

MOUNDRIDGE WILDCATS at Bennington

Scoring: WILDCATS 6-12-6-6=30; Bennington 0-6-0-8=14

1st Quarter:

WILDCATS – Logan Churchill 44-yard pass from Henry Hecox (2-Point Conversion Failed) 6-0

2nd Quarter:

WILDCATS – Logan Churchill 37-yard pass from Henry Hecox (2-Point Conversion Failed) 12-0

Bennington – Scored on a 5-yard run (2-Point Conversion Failed) 12-6

WILDCATS – Joaquin Huff 13-yard run (2-Point Conversion Failed) 18-6

3rd Quarter:

WILDCATS – Kaden Elmore 9-yard run (2-Point Conversion Failed) 24-6

4th Quarter:

Bennington – Scored on an 18-yard pass play (2-Point Conversion was Good) 24-14

WILDCATS – Barrett Moddelmog 4-yard pass from Henry Hecox (2-Point Conversion Failed) 30-14

Team Stats:

WILDCATS: 1st Downs – 15; Total Offense – 48 for 281; Rushing – 31 for 94; Passing – 9/17  for 187, 3 scores; Fumbles – 1/0; Penalties – 10 for 90; Time of Possession – 22:37.

Bennington: 1st Downs – 17; Total Offense – 62 for 262; Rushing – 43 for 131; Passing – 10/19 for 131, 1 interception, 1 score; Fumbles – 1/1; Penalties – 7 for 60; Time of Possession – 25:23.

Moundridge Wildcat Individual Stats:

Rushing: Henry Hecox – 12 for 50; Kaden Elmore – 15 for 28; Joaquin Huff – 2 for 16; Paul Grill – 2 for 0.

Passing: Henry Hecox – 9/17 for 187 with 3 scores.

Receiving: Logan Churchill – 4 for 125; Barrett Moddelmog – 5 for 62.

Defense: Joaquin Huff – 10.5 tackles with 8 solo, 1.0 sack, 1.0 for loss; Barrett Moddelmog – 10.0 tackles with 7 solo; Lane Durst – 7.5 tackles with 6 solo; Henry Hecox – 7.0 tackles with 6 solo; Banky Hayes – 6.0 tackles with 4 solo, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 for loss; Braden Den Hartog – 4.5 tackles, 3 solo, 2.0 for loss; Kaden Elmore – 2.0 tackles, 2 solo; Caleb Ward – 2.0 tackles, 2 solo; Logan Churchill – 1.5 tackles; Weston Miller – 1.5 tackles, 1 solo; Layton Schmidt – 1.0 tackles, 1 solo; Layton Weins – 1.0 tackles, .5 sack, .5 for loss; Paul Grill – 1 interception.

(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)