CASSVILLE, Mo. – The Cassville Wildcats ranked 3^rd in Class 3 host the Class 2 defending state champion Lamar Tigers Friday night.  Cassville enters the game having won 30 straight regular season games.

The success in Cassville is passed down through the years.  Every Friday before playing in front of the cheering Wildcat fans a group of seniors, called the Big Cats take time out to read and play with Cassville Elementary School students.

 “We show the kids not to be bad students,” said Garrett Kirk, Cassville Senior defensive back. “We show them you've got to do the right things and work hard to be successful.”

Cassville Head Coach David Large uses the program to build interest in his program.

“There's no better way to promote your program than to go into the classrooms on gamedays,” said Large. “They'll take the kids and walk them through the field house let them try on some of their football gear and different things.”

 The Big Cats program started 11 years ago.  Most of the current players remember when the older Big Cats visited them in elementary school and have wanted to be Wildcats ever since. 

“When I was a little kid and saw the big cats walking in, I just wanted to be like them,” said Kirk.

Wildcats senior linebacker Cody Frana said he looked up to the Big Cats when he was younger.

 “We all had the Big Cats growing up and they meant a lot to us back then,” said Fran.  “We just try to come out and be as good to them as they were to us.”

 Coach Large has 2 daughters now in middle school and has seen firsthand what the Big Cats means to the younger students.

“They always knew who their big cats were and when they came to games on Friday nights they were always watching to see where they were at,” said Large.  “It was amazing to see it from a Father's aspect to see how much the kids enjoy it.”

 The elementary students aren’t the only ones learning from the Big Cats visits to the classroom.

 “I think it teaches the Big Cats responsibility because they're expected to be excellent role models for these kids,” said Jennifer Hanson, Cassville 3^rd grade teacher.

The Big Cats know they can count on the little cats to cheer them on to victory every Friday night.