Ottawa ? De Soto scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes with three different players. In the end, the Wildcats saw five different players reach the end zone as they ran it up on the Cyclones for the second consecutive season.

“That’s what we like about this offense,” De Soto coach Brad Scott said. “We don’t have to worry about one kid wanting to get his. We have been that type of football team, but now we can spread it out.”

Junior running back Mark England took the opening kickoff 70 yards to the Ottawa 21-yard line, then scored the team’s second touchdown with a 64-yard end-around run down the sideline.

Senior quarterback/defensive end Erik Hill had an early sack and hit an in-stride Jamel Townsend for a 55-yard touchdown in the first quarter, then tacked on another pass in each the second and third quarters.

And sophomore tailback Dylan Burford who roared onto the squad with a 22-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. It was his second-ever carry on the varsity field. He later caught a 25-yard touchdown pass as well.

“Erik played really well for his first game at quarterback,” said senior Shane Miller, a target for one of Hill’s touchdowns. “It felt really good.”

De Soto was explosive on offense, and for the first half dominated on defense, but it had a little help from the Cyclones on both fronts.

The Cats couldn’t capitalize on England’s game-opening kickoff return, fumbling away the momentum on the very next snap.

Ottawa fumbled in kind, however, and four plays later Clinton Smethers rammed in from one-yard out for De Soto’s first touchdown.

It was one of five first-half turnovers for the Cyclones – three coming in the span of five plays late in the first and early in the second quarters.

“That has been occurring from day one,” Ottawa coach Pat Boeh said of the turnovers. “As a coaching staff, we take a lot of responsibility for how inept we were in the beginning of the game.”

Ottawa finally found some momentum in the second half. Running back Tyler Wiederholt provided a stable presence in the backfield, rushing for 61 yards on 12 carries.

Quarterback Ben Harris played better, too. Zero of four with two interceptions to start the game, he finished 80 yards on the ground and a touchdown and a two-point conversion through the air.

De Soto 38, Ottawa 22

De Soto181370-38

Ottawa00022-22

DS – Clinton Smether 1 run (kick failed)

DS – Mark England 64 run (kick failed)

DS – Jamel Townsend 55 pass from Erik Hill (kick failed)

DS – Dylan Burford 22 run (Parker Williams kick)

DS – Burford 25 pass from Hill (Jordan Slater kick)

O – Tyler Wiederholt 4 run (run failed)

O – Wiederholt 4 run (Jarrod Ingold run)

O – Ryan Fellinger 6 pass from Ben Harris (Jake Diel pass from Harris)