Football Game Preview: Neosho Wildcats vs. Carthage Tigers

Neosho is 0-10 against Carthage since October of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Wildcats will square off against the Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Neosho is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Branson with a sharp 42-20 victory. With the Wildcats ahead 28-7 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Blayne Patterson

Passer Rating (Career)

10/31/25 @ Branson	164.7
09/12/25 vs Lebanon	143.6
09/05/25 @ Kickapoo	141
09/19/25 @ Waynesville	140
11/08/24 vs Carthage	137.5

Neosho's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Blayne Patterson, who threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Patterson a new career-high in passer rating (164.7). Haven Plummer was Patterson's top target, picking up 92 receiving yards and three TDs.

Special teams also played a big role in the game for Neosho, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Oliver Martin, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Carthage had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17 points) and they went ahead and made it five two weeks ago. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Wildcats 56-14. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Tigers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 41st, while the Wildcats are ranked 128th).

Neosho's victory bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Carthage, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.

Neosho was dealt a bruising 56-14 loss at the hands of Carthage when the teams last played two weeks ago. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.