After facing some of the Three Rivers League’s best teams to open the season, the Yates Center Wildcats defeated St. Paul by a razor-thin margin, coming from behind to defeat the Indians 30-28 last Friday.
Facing a 12-point deficit after halftime, the Wildcats rallied for both their first victory of the season and their first league victory of 2025.
Sophomore running back Marcus Cummings made a massive impact last Friday, rushing for a team-leading 184 yards including a pair of touchdowns, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Sophomore quarterback Gavin Busteed came just short of matching Cummings in all-purpose yards after rushing for 85 yards and passing for 50, completing 4 of 15 attempts and a touchdown.
Junior receiver Evan McVey had a team-leading 64 yards on three catches and a touchdown, followed by Cook, who served as Yates Center’s Swiss Army knife last Friday. Along with an 11-yard catch, Cook also had a 31-yard completion and averaged 8 yards per carry out of the backfield. He was also second in tackles with three solo and four total.
Junior linebacker Jeremiah Jones also played like a man on a mission, racking up 15 tackles, nine solo, and three tackles for a loss. Senior linebacker Blake Morrison reached double-digits in tackles with 10, three for a loss, and three solo tackles. Along with leading the Wildcats in receptions, McVey had a team-leading seven tackles, five solo, and a fumble recovery.
With the win, the Wildcats improved to 1-2 and 1-2 in Three Rivers League play. They step away from Three Rivers League play next Friday to host the undefeated Madison Bulldogs, who enter Friday’s contest 3-0 with blowout victories over Lebo (51-20), Hartford (49-0), and most recently, Burlingame (42-26). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
