Football Recap: Neosho Piles Up the Points Against Willard

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Previous Games

10/03/25 - Away	55-27 W
10/04/24 - Home	49-14 W
08/25/23 - Away	21-28 L
10/28/22 - Home	29-43 L
08/26/22 - Home	79-72 W
+ 5 more games

Neosho was handed a heart-breaking three-point defeat in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Willard on Friday. The Wildcats claimed a resounding 55-27 win over the Tigers. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Wildcats' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 86th, while the Tigers are ranked 232nd).

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Neosho to victory, but perhaps none more so than Blayne Patterson, who threw for 218 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 80 yards and one TD on only ten carries. Keisean Rhone was another key rusher, rushing for 190 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 8.3 yards per carry.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Neosho was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 285 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 217 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Neosho's defense and their four sacks. Leading the way was Jaxon Ertel with three. Nate Winkler was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making ten total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Neosho pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points over those games. As for Willard, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-5.

We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Neosho is set to square off against their familiar foe Joplin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. That matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Rhone and Traevian McCadney. Meanwhile, Willard will take on rival Webb City at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.