The last time Warrenton football began a season 5-0, no one on this year’s roster was alive.

The Warriors (4-0) have a chance to break that trend when they travel to Gateway Athletic Conference North rival St. Charles West Friday at 7 p.m.

The teams are tied atop the conference standings at 1-0, and Friday’s winner will have first place to itself next week.

Warrenton dismantled St. Charles last Friday, 55-28, joining the 2014 team with the second 4-0 start this century.

But neither the 2014 or 2010 roster — which played for the state championship — can match the 2017 offense.

The Warriors are averaging 46 points per game this season, and have scored at least 35 points every Friday night.

“It’s a very high-powered offense,” Head Coach Steve McDowell said. “Coach (Jeff) Smith has brought a lot to the table as our offensive coordinator, and I just kind of handed the reins over to him and let him play with the tools that we have, and we have a lot of weapons.”

For McDowell, the key to Warrenton’s success offensively has been balance.

“You can’t just focus on one kid,” he said. “Brenden (Smith) has had a great year on the ground and in the air, and if you focus too much on him, we’ve got Logan Dowd or Dylan Smith that we can hand the ball off to. And when we do throw the ball, who do you key on? Do you focus on Caleb Strauss, Brandon Molinari or Sam Smith?”

Smith, who was named the GAC North offensive Player of the Year last season, has completed 79.5 percent of his passes this season for 649 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He has added another 538 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground to lead the team in both categories.

Four receivers — Brandon Molinari, Caleb Strauss, Sam Smith and Logan Dowd — have caught at least seven passes this season, and Molinari leads the group with 208 yards and four touchdowns.

Sophomores Logan Dowd and Dylan Smith have surprised fans and filled the running back void left by Cameron Richardson.

Dowd leads the team with 456 rushing yards and five touchdowns, with Smith adding 87 on 19 carries.

“We knew Logan had talent because he can hit that second level and he has some afterburners,” McDowell said. “He’s a strong runner, too, and he usually doesn’t go down on the first hit. He keeps the legs driving forward. It’s also nice to bring in Dylan Smith when Logan needs to rest a little bit. We’re not quite deep enough to platoon guys on both sides of the ball, so it’s nice to give him a break on defense when we can.”

Four of Warrenton’s top tacklers are starters on both sides of the ball, which could pose a problem as the season goes on.

“I think we’re going to be fine,” McDowell said. “I think we’re in pretty good condition right now. We’re trying to spell these guys a series or two here and there to catch their breath, but this is what we’ve got. They knew this coming into the season, and they’ve accepted that role and that responsibility.”

McDowell praised his offensive line’s performance against St. Charles, calling it its best game of the season.

He added that his defensive line and linebackers will be in for a tough matchup Friday at St. Charles West.

“They’re going to run the ball at you,” he said. “They’ll run the ball out of the wishbone and off-set I-formation, and they want to establish the run game. And then they’ll come back at you with a play-action pass. They’re going to bring some different formations, and they’re always a tough opponent. They’re very disciplined, so we need to be disciplined and fly to the ball.”

Despite a 1-3 record, McDowell said the Warriors will be one of the tougher teams Warrenton faces this season.

“They’ve played some tough schools so far this year,” he said. “This will be the third game we see the option, so we need to be disciplined and be able to stop it.”

St. Charles West opened its season with losses to MICDS, Cape Central and Francis Howell Central before knocking off Winfield last week, 34-30.

McDowell said he wants to see improvement from his pass defense as his team enters the second half of the season, but he likes what he has seen through four games.

“These kids have really stayed grounded and brought out a lot of effort, and it’s really paid off for them,” McDowell said. “We’ve had dominant performances in three of our four games, and I think that gives us a good, healthy confidence going forward.”