Football Game Preview: Nitro Wildcats vs. Capital Cougars

The Nitro Wildcats will take on the Capital Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Nitro's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five contests.

Nitro will bounce into Friday's game after beating Winfield, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Wildcats came out on top against the Generals by a score of 39-28 on Friday.

MALACHI THOMPSON

Receiving Yards

10/24/25 @ Winfield	145
10/10/25 @ Lincoln County	104
10/03/25 vs Point Pleasant	70
09/26/25 vs Ripley	76
09/19/25 @ Riverside	91
+ 4 more games

Nitro's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from MALACHI THOMPSON, who picked up 145 receiving yards and a pair of scores. That's the most receiving yards THOMPSON has posted since back in November of 2024. Another rusher making a difference was CHRIS RADCLIFFE, who rushed for 108 yards and one TD on only eight carries.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Nitro proved: they limited Winfield to a paltry 2.7 yards per carry. While two picked up at least one total tackle, THOMPSON stood above the rest. He picked up 145 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. That's the most yards per carry they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Capital lost 30-7 to George Washington on Friday. The Cougars have struggled against the Patriots recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.

Nitro's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 48.0 points over those games. As for Capital, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.