The Tharptown Wildcats improved to 2-0 on the season with a hard–fought 12-6 win over the Phillips Bears Thursday night.

“We overcame some critical mistakes with turnovers, but I am proud of the way our guys kept fighting and didn’t give up or give in,” said Tharptown Coach Kevin Lacey.

For the second straight week, the weather played a major role in the flow of the game, with nine turnovers throughout the contest. “We are going to definitely have to take care of the ball better in our upcoming games,” said Lacey.

Tharptown’s Tyler Amos recovered a Phillips fumble early on, but the Wildcats turned the ball back over on the ensuing possession.

Nathan Lucas scored on a two-yard run on the Wildcats’ next drive with 8:55 to go in the second quarter to give Tharptown a 6-0 lead. The score was set up by a Colton Simmons 15-yard run.

Lucas scored another touchdown for the Wildcats with 3:36 to go in the second quarter to give Tharptown a 12-0 lead. The score was again set up by a big Simmons run.

A muffed kick on the ensuing kickoff led to a recovery by Tharptown’s Johnny Jeronimo to give the Wildcats good field position.

On the last play of the first half, a Phillips defensive back stripped the ball away from a Tharptown wide receiver and sprinted 70 yards for the Bears’ only touchdown of the night, making the score 12-6 at halftime.

Phillips was on the move late in the game following a Tharptown turnover. A big sack by Simmons stopped the Bears’ momentum, allowing the Wildcats to secure the win.

Tharptown will travel to Colbert County Friday night for the Wildcats’ first region game.

The Wildcats lost 55-0 last year to the Indians. The two teams have met only twice, but Tharptown has yet to get in the endzone against this team. Colbert County went 6-5 last year with a first–round playoff loss to Collinsville.