It’s difficult for any squad to compete against the second best team in the district without a star player. West Central Valley found that out the hard way as the Wildcats fell Friday to South Hamilton 52-6 without Brock Wolfe. Wolfe suffered an ankle sprain in the loss to Van Meter, taking him out for last Friday’s Homecoming contest.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats couldn’t find a way to match Wolfe’s production. The Hawk defense limited Cole Arnburg to just two catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. The rest of the receivers combined for just four receptions and 65 yards. The ground game was also lacking, producing just two yards for running backs and seven by quarterback Carson Wadle. Additionally, Wadle’s four interceptions significantly aided the dynamic South Hamilton offense.

Senior running back Logan Klemp led the way for the Hawks, with 188 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Klemp is now second in the district in rushing and needs just 49 yards to reach 1,000 on the season. Junior DJ Klogan added 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Hawks. Senior Grant Evans and junior Sam Lewis rounded out the rushing attack with one touchdown each.

With the win the Hawks improve to 7-1 and essentially host a play-in game against Eagle Grove Friday for the second playoff spot out of the district. The Wildcats fall to 2-6 and will travel to Panorama on Friday for a cross-county showdown with the Panthers.