The Winfield-Mount Union Wolves gave it their all but had their season come to an end with a 61-54 loss Friday night at Montezuma in the first round of the eight-player football playoffs.

After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, Winfield-Mount Union roared to life on offense and only trailed 28-26 going into halftime. The Wolves would continue to light up the scoreboard, going into the final period down 55-46, but while they scored once more in the final 12 minutes, they could not quite catch Montezuma.

Quarterback Jake Edwards powered a big offensive night with over 400 total yards of offense for WMU by throwing for 327 yards and five touchdowns. Fellow senior Lane Genkinger caught seven passes for 127 yards and three of those TDs while also rushing for 50 yards and another score on 10 carries.

Junior Max Edwards had five receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Taysom Samuels also had a scoring grab and had three total catches for 72 yards.

Genkinger led the defense with 15 total tackles and two tackles for loss, while Jake Edwards made 14 stops and senior Cooper Buffington also had a pair of tackles for loss and 10 tackles in total, but it was not enough to keep Montezuma from piling up over 440 yards.

The 2024 season will end for Winfield-Mount Union with a record of 5-4. The Wolves will now say goodbye to six seniors, including Edwards, Genkinger, Buffington, Kohlby Newsom, Eli Garcia and Levi Walter.