Football Game Preview: Minneola Wildcats vs. Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawks

The Minneola Wildcats will challenge the Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Wheatland-Grinnell took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Minneola, who comes in off a win.

Minneola is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 78-28 victory over Udall. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won four matchups by 44 points or more so far this season.

Minneola didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Cash Lang and Kaos Aldridge. Lang got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Special teams was a major factor in the game for Minneola, racking up 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Braylon Moore, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Wheatland-Grinnell fell victim to Wallace County and their airtight defense on Friday. They were beaten by the Wildcats 50-0. Having soared to a lofty 34 points in the game before, the Thunderhawks' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Minneola's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-2. Those road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points over those games. As for Wheatland-Grinnell, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.

Minneola was taken down by Wheatland-Grinnell 56-20 in their previous matchup back in October of 2020. Thankfully for the Wildcats, Isaac Mendez (who rushed for 257 yards and four TDs while picking up 12.2 yards per carry, and also picked up 48 receiving yards and a pair of scores) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.