Friday night's 19-15 triumph over Affton was reminiscent of the Warriors' 29-28 double-overtime escape against Hannibal during 2007 district play. Trailing by three and facing a third-and-10 with 25 seconds remaining, concede was beginning to consume the Warrenton sidelines. It appeared the Warriors were destined to lose their season opener for the sixth consecutive year. Quarterback Jake Miller had not gone deep the entire night, but it became mandatory on the Warriors' last drive. Miller floated the ball toward the front right corner of the end zone, and defenders read Harsh Gandhi as the intended receiver. A.J. Wallace went temporarily uncovered, leaping to make an improbable catch before turning to fall into the end zone. The dismay that had hushed the Warrenton crowd moments earlier turned into roaring pandemonium. After a successful extra point attempt, the Warriors led 19-15 and needed only make a brief defensive stand. The emotional ending seemed like the most unlikely of finishes, even to first-year Head Coach Ken Moore. "With our chances, I'm thinking 'It's not happening,' " said Moore about the possibility of mounting a winning drive. "According to the percentages, there is always a chance to make a big play like that, and I'm just hoping that's the kick-start to our season." Wallace said he took the initiative from the moment he noticed his defender was out of position. "The guy that was supposed to be in my zone was busy watching Gandhi, who was on the outside," Wallace explained. "I got behind him, and Miller saw me and threw it. The guy saw that he was in the wrong, tried to make up the ground but couldn't make it. I got the jump over him, caught it, had the presence of mind to know I was still like five yards short, turned and then fell into the end zone." The senior leader became overwhelmed with emotion once he realized he had made the game-changing play. "When I caught the ball, I was breathless," Wallace said. "I almost started hyperventilating on the field. When I went to the sidelines I couldn't get my mouth to come back to a normal straight face. It was just all smiles, love and tears - high on life." Wallace finished with 75 all-purpose yards. The importance of Warrenton escaping with this win could not be underestimated. The Warriors were convinced they could beat Affton, especially after limiting them to just two touchdowns and keeping the Cougar's ground game in check. During much of the game, each time Warrenton caught a break in their favor, it failed to capitalize. The Warriors returned the opening kickoff to the Affton 18-yard line but could not convert in the red zone. Affton quickly grabbed the lead with a six-yard scamper into the end zone midway through the first quarter. Warrenton caught a potential break on the two-point conversion when the Cougars were penalized for early movement on the line. They opted to kick an extra-point, during which the snap was bobbled and the ball was momentarily loose. Instead of making the stop, the Warriors allowed the holder to recover and burst to the outside corner into the end zone. Warrenton also recovered a fumble deep in Affton territory but could not generate any points off the resulting drive. The Warriors had several chances to take control of the game but failed to conquer adversity until it stared them directly in the face. Affton continued 8-0 until midway through the second quarter. The Warriors burnt nearly seven minutes off the clock, before Jake Miller plunged over the goal line from one yard out with 6:30 remaining in the half. Affton maintained an 8-6 edge after the extra point kick ricocheted off the bottom of the goal post. Penalties plagued both teams, slowing the game down considerably. Warrenton was driving the ball aggressively again before the half came to a close, but simply ran out of time. The Warriors opened the third quarter with a strong three-and-out defensive stand. "Their backs are very athletic and looked like they could cause us some fits, but our guys did a good job of containing them tonight," Moore said. Colby Turner set the tone, blasting through the line on several instances. Turner recorded four tackles and a sack and also carried the ball on offense. "He's quickly becoming our leader on defense," Moore said about Turner. "He's a monster there in the middle, and he decleated that kid on the sack." Nearing the end of the third quarter, the Warriors found themselves back in scoring position when the team's moral got a momentary scare. Sophomore Scotty Lathrop took the hand-off on a goal line play and disappeared into a swarm of defenders. Lathrop lay motionless on the ground for several minutes before finally leaving the field unassisted. Miller scored on another keeper just seconds later, reclaiming the lead for the Warriors. The junior was relentless down the stretch, completing 12 of his 20 passing attempts for 150 yards. The defense broke on the next drive, giving up a 25-yard run and an eventual easy touchdown. Affton protected that 15-12 lead with three stingy defensive stands. On what Warrenton initially believed would be its last drive, the Warriors fumbled the ball and watched Affton recover with 2:05 left in the game. "Our boys came out and played to the end," Moore said. "They did not give up, and I've got to credit that to these coaches. We work on keeping the mindsets focused that it's a four-quarter game, and we fight to the end. We take it to them. We don't let them bring the game to us."