The Warrenton defense played a fantastic first half.
Unfortunately for the home-standing Warriors, the only St. Charles West score of the half came on a play Warrenton’s defense couldn’t defend.
In fact, both of West’s scores in the 17-0 victory came on pick-sixes – by the same defender.
“You can’t win a high school football game with that many turnovers,” Warrenton Coach Jason Koper said. “I think we had five or six turnovers. We didn’t establish the run game the way we wanted to. We had a lot of good blocks, but they had a lot of guys coming free (for tackles).”
With 6 minutes, 43 seconds left in the half, St. Charles West’s Maddox Sikma intercepted a Mason Sanders’ pass and returned it 21 yards to the end zone.
After the Braden Martin extra point, West led 7-0, and it was a lead the team would take into the half.
The visitors increased the lead to 10-0 after another interception led to a Martin 21-yard field goal with 1:05 left in the third quarter.
“Defensively, we played real well,” Koper said. “The only (exception) was on a long play they got to set up the field goal.”
Early in the fourth, Sikma secured a second pick-six. This time, a 45-yard return made it 17-0 in favor of West (4-0) after the PAT with 11:10 to play.
Next Friday, Warrenton (2-2) heads to Holt for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Last season, Holt won at Warrenton by a 24-14 score.
“They’re very explosive,” said Koper of Holt. “Even in the games they’ve lost, they’ve scored a lot of points. I think the way we play defense, we can stop a lot of teams mbut we’ve got to be ready to go and we’ve got to move the ball.”
