CUBA – The Cuba High School football team’s season ended on Oct. 31 in the Class 2 District quarterfinals against Hermann after the Wildcats fell 32-20 to end an up and down season. 

The Wildcats started strong and got out to an early 14-0 lead with 3:57 left in the first quarter. Cuba got on the board when Noah Halbert ran for a 67 yard touchdown. Cameron Carnal added the extra point to put Cuba up seven. Ethan Noltkamper then returned a fumble forced by Paco Leos for 50 yards for a touchdown. After taking the lead into the second quarter, Hermann swung the momentum of the game and scored 32 unanswered points. Halbert didn’t go down without a fight, scoring his second touchdown of the night, catching a 57 yard pass from Jesse Shireman with 6:15 remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 32-20.

Leos ended his career with his best defensive game of the season, totaling 11 tackles, two passes deflected and a forced fumble. Noltkamper was bottled up offensively throughout the game, but shined on defense with nine tackles, two passes deflected and provided the scoop and score touchdown. Freshman Nicholas Gipson snagged an interception and junior Damion Ferguson added a sack.  

Cuba has now lost seven straight games to Hermann. 

The Wildcats finished the season with a 2-8 record, including a forfeit of the homecoming game to St. Vincent during head coach Kaleb Cason’s first year on the job. Cuba won four games last season and were winless in 10 games during the 2023-24 school year. 

Cuba will lose seniors Halbert, Carnal, Leos, Aaron Brown, Ryan Thompson, Wyatt McMillian and Gavin Robinson from its already thin roster that started the year with 26 players and dwindled due to injuries as the season went on. 

Carnal led the Wildcats in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Losing McMillian to graduation is a blow to Cuba’s offensive and defensive lines, as he led the team in pancake blocks and added 32 tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on defense. The Wildcats will lose their leading tackler in Leos, who racked up 64 tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in his stellar senior season. 

The Wildcats will have star running back Noltkamper returning for his senior season. Noltkamper led Cuba in total yards, touchdowns, and was just shy of 1,000 rushing yards in only eight games. He missed one game due to injury and lost a chance to add to that total with the homecoming game cancellation. Noltkamper also added 55 tackles on defense, solidifying the Wildcat’s secondary. 

Wildcat starting quarterback Shireman threw eight touchdowns on the year and will return alongside fellow stalwarts Damion Ferguson, AJ Flores and Zane Brown as leaders for their senior season. They will be accompanied by standout underclassman Cole Kelemen, Luke Whittaker, Paulie Windle and Nicholas Gipson who look to continue and ascend with Cason as he enters his second year at the helm of the program.