Warrenton junior running back Eli Schneider had a big game in getting the Warriors back into the win column after a two-game losing streak. His four touchdowns against Holt helped the visitors earn the 49-14 win.
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After a rough couple of weeks, the Warrenton football team could sure have used a break last Friday.
That break came in the form of junior Eli Schneider.
All Schneider did in the Warriors’ 49-14 win at Holt was to rush the ball 23 times for 161 yards and four scores as the team ended a brief, two-game skid.
Schneider was the workhorse behind the scoring runs from 30, 18, 1, and 6 yards out, but he refused to take all the credit for the success.
“It was fun, but it’s not all me,” Schneider admitted. “It starts with the offensive line and our coaches. They’re the unsung heroes here. Up front, we have five strong guys who battle and keep battling. I just run behind them.”
While Schneider and his brother, Henry, who also ran for a score of 13 yards, led the way, the team’s entire rushing arsenal was on full display as Warrenton (3-2) amassed 291 yards on the ground.
Warriors’ Coach Jason Koper praised the entire offense for its work.
The coach said seeing everyone do their job and turn it into a win was, in a word, impressive.
“Our offense executed very well on Friday,” Koper said. “The line gave (sophomore quarterback) Mason Sanders great protection throughout the game. We were very efficient passing the ball (at 8-of-10). Eli is running the ball incredibly well, and he is getting better every week. He is pound for pound as strong as anyone I have ever coached.”
Koper added that Schneider did plenty of important work that aided his rushing numbers.
“He is physical and he does not go down with arm tackles,” Koper said. “On his 30-yard touchdown run he broke multiple arm tackles. Our line played the best they have all season. They opened up some big holes in the run game. They executed well all night.”
The offense wasn’t the only unit that executed time and time again at Holt.
The defense also did exceptionally well, allowing the Indians (2-3) just a score in each half.
Eli Schenider led the Warriors with six total tackles, while Keegan Lehmkuhl had a 47-yard pick-six and a 69-yard TD reception.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team for their resiliency,” Koper said. “We talked all week about this being a critical point in our season and how it was going to define us for the rest of the year. It was a great win; we played well in all three phases of the game.
Eli Schneider said that the return to the win column couldn’t have come at a better time.
After all, a three-game slide would be tough to get past, he said.
“It feels good to just come out and execute,” Eli Schneider said. “We did our jobs. The D line penetrated. Everything was going as planned. We stopped them. Think we can keep it up. This was the game that, if we dropped this one, we don’t know how the season’s going to look. Now, there is a lot of confidence going forward. This was the game to win. Needed this to get back into the groove and become the team we know we can be.”
Now, Warrenton turns its collective attention to Orchard Farm (3-2), a team which the Warriors had defeated three times in a row prior to last season’s 49-27 win by the Eagles.
Koper said the team knows what’s in front of it at 7 p.m. on Friday.
“Orchard Farm will be a tough game,” the coach said. “We need to come out ready to go. It will require us to play well on defense. They have explosive wide receivers and a solid quarterback, among other skills. We just need to continue to get better, like we did last week.”
