After putting up a total of 60 points against Churchill and Whitman, the football team was scoreless as they lost to the reigning state champion, Quince Orchard (QO). The Cougars haven’t been scored on all season and defeated the Wildcats 42-0.

To start the game, QO received the ball but they were stopped by the WJ defense and were unable to get any points on the board from their first drive. Despite defensive success at the beginning of the game, WJ trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 21-0 at the end of the half.

“My mindset the whole game was just trying to win. We had to keep working as a team and not give up. Once they were up around 35-0, we still had to keep working,” junior wide receiver and defensive back Nick Zampardi said.

At the beginning of the second half, senior quarterback Andrew Plotnick entered the game following the injury of junior starting quarterback Charlie Blessing. Late in the fourth quarter, Plotnick and the offense were able to get into field goal range for the first time. The attempt was blocked and run back for another QO touchdown.

Senior captain Alphonse Mansare played a majority of the game on both sides of the ball, much like he does every Friday. He plays the positions of both offensive and defensive lineman.

“Putting the work in the offseason makes a huge difference. Making sure my body is right and ready for all four quarters of the football game is a huge thing,” Mansare said.

This Friday, Sept. 23, the Wildcats will attempt to put this loss behind them at Wheaton at 7pm. Blessing is currently suffering an injury so Plotnick will fill the starting quarterback position.

“Staying motivated for this Friday is all about wanting to win. If we let one loss to a good team hold us back, it’s a problem. We know we have talent and we’re all more motivated than ever to win,” junior running back and linebacker Dylan Minnick said.