Football Game Preview: Neosho Wildcats vs. Branson Pirates

Neosho and Branson are an even 4-4 against one another since September of 2015, but not for long. The Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Neosho has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with three straight defeats, while Branson will come in with four straight victories.

It was a proper cat-fight when Neosho faced off against Carthage on Thursday. The Wildcats were outmatched by the Tigers and fell 56-14. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 139th, while the Tigers are ranked 50th).

Blayne Patterson

Rushing Yards

10/10/25 vs Joplin	126
10/23/25 vs Carthage	122
09/19/25 @ Waynesville	112
09/12/25 vs Lebanon	96
08/29/25 vs Glendale	89
+ 4 more games

Despite the loss, Neosho had strong showings from Blayne Patterson, who rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and Keisean Rhone, who rushed for 105 yards. The Wildcats are 4-2 when Patterson posts 80 or more rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise.

Meanwhile, Branson owes their defense a big pat on the back after their performance on Thursday. They blew past Hillcrest 29-0. Considering the Pirates have won four games by more than 27 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Neosho's defeat dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Branson, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.

Neosho couldn't quite get it done against Branson when the teams last played back in September of 2023 as they fell 41-34. Thankfully for the Wildcats, Luke Mccormick (who rushed for 62 yards and three TDs, and also threw for 48 yards and one touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.