Thayer, Mo. –The Thayer Bobcats went up against the Willow Springs Bears on Friday, October 13, 2023, at Louis Bozman Field in Thayer. The Bobcats defeated the Bears 68-14.
Senior Night
This game was also the senior night for the marching band, cross country, pom team, and football team. The seniors were Aiden Collins, Selena Hollis, Mariah Jennings, Gage Miller, Matthew Pierce, Kayden Vardel, Audrey Harris, Hannah Shipp, Colt Gonzales, Rowan Spencer, and Mark Spencer.
The Game
Throughout the entire game, the Bobcats had control over it. Three interceptions were made by the Bobcats, two from Tucker Wade (#27 for Bobcats) and one from Brendon Spencer (#2 for Bobcats). In the postgame interviews done by the AltonMo.com field team, Mark Spencer was named the Most Valuable Player for good reason: he got six out of the ten Bobcat touchdowns.
First Quarter
Right off the bat, the Bobcats jumped to the lead, scoring six touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Just two minutes into the game, Mark Spencer (#1 for Bobcats) ran several yards into the endzone for a touchdown. Another two minutes later, Tucker Wade (#27 for Bobcats) intercepted the ball and ran several yards. Colt Gonzales (#10 for Bobcats) made good of the interception by getting a touchdown.
Mark Spencer got his second touchdown right before Tucker Wade got his second interception and first touchdown. With 1:20 in the first quarter, Mark Spencer ran into the endzone again making the score 32-0. To finish the quarter, Colt Gonzales recovered a Bear fumble and ran into the endzone. The score at the end of the first quarter was 40-0.
Second Quarter
The second quarter started out similarly to the first quarter, with Mark Spencer getting his fourth touchdown in the game. At this time, the Bobcats started putting in their junior varsity players. Aiden Stuart (#5 for Bears) finally got the Bears on the board with a touchdown. With 25.5 seconds left in the half, Jorden Rutledge (#35 for Bears) got the Bears another touchdown. When Thayer got the ball back, they fumbled it on the kickoff, so the Bears got it right back. On the first Bear play before the half closed out, Brendon Spencer (#2 for Bobcats) intercepted the ball. The score at halftime was 47-14.
Halftime
At halftime, the Thayer Mighty Mites were honored. All the teams lined out along the football field while waving to the fans. Also at halftime after the marching band performance, the marching band seniors followed the tradition of leaving their shoes on the field for the next group.
Second Half
Just under twenty seconds in the game, Mark Spencer ran 52 yards into the endzone for another Bobcat touchdown. He followed that up with his sixth touchdown of the game, making the score 60-14. On a different play, Colt Gonzales had an amazing 60-yard run for the Bobcats. At 1:20 in the third quarter, Devin Harrington (#3 for Bobcats) got another touchdown for the Bobcats. No points were scored in the fourth quarter. The final score was 68-14, with the Bobcats wiping out the Bears.
Next Week
Next week will be the last regular football game for area high schools. On October 20, 2023, at 7:00 pm, the Thayer Bobcats will take on the Mountain Grove Panthers at the Mountain Grove High School. [1] Make sure to come out and support the Bobcats.
