There’s an old sports saying that it’s really hard to beat an opponent three times in one season. Heck, it’s hard enough to beat somebody twice.
Wayland was handed that tough lesson Friday night in its first post-season playoff football game since 2013, losing 34-7 to South Christian. The defeat followed a 49-40 victory the week before against the same foe, but on the Wildcats’ turf rather than at East Kentwood.
Wayland struck for a touchdown and extra point in the first quarter to lead 7-0, but the Sailors’ defense held it scoreless the rest of the way. They mounted a 14-7 advantage at intermission, were up 21-7 after three periods and then added two more scores in the fourth quarter.
It was a tough ending to the Wildcats’ best season in 10 years. They finished with their first winning record, 6-4 overall, since the 2013 unit finished at 6-5. The ‘Cats were 4-3 in the O-K Gold Conference.