Isias Hernandez has always played football for someone greater than himself.  

That someone is his mom. 

“I was always told to run for someone important, so I run for my mom,” Hernandez said. “I thought about her every time I got the ball.”

Hernandez sure did spend a lot of time running with 153 yards and three rushing touchdowns in Warrenton’s 40-20 win over St. Charles on Oct. 10. 

While Hernandez can typically be found in the backfield, he was in a new spot in this contest, which was quarterback. It’s not too far from his usual placement at running back. 

“I’ve never played quarterback,” the junior said. “I learned how to read throughout the summer just in case I had to step up or not but I was nervous. My mom and praying to God really helped me calm down.”  

Hernandez took the helm in the contest against St. Charles. He was not the only one playing a new position due to multiple starters absent due to disciplinary reasons.

“I told them we need to play for each other. That’s all we can do – come out and win as a team, execute as a team,” Warrenton coach Jason Koper said. 

The Warriors spent the week before the game experimenting with lineups to find the right mix. Hernandez learned of his new role four days before the game. 

“Since I’m a running back, I had trust in my line and I was praying of course,” Hernandez said. 

On Warrenton’s first offensive drive, Hernandez picked up a key first down, then converted on a fourth down to keep the drive alive. On the next play, he broke loose for a 14-yard touchdown. 

The nerves were gone after that. 

“He did a really good job. He stayed calm and he was poised the whole time,” Koper said. “He did everything we threw at him and executed it well. He did that all week in practice and took a lot of big steps in a hurry.” 

Hernandez rushed for two additional touchdowns to round out a team victory. 

However, he was not the only one to steer the Warriors’ offense as Mason Sanders also received a few snaps. 

Sanders, who had been sidelined due to injury, received a new cast for his left arm the morning of the game. 

“I didn’t know I was going to play. They told me if I wrap it, I could play so we texted coach instantly and found out I could play,” Sanders said. 

A crazed-filled day ended with Sanders suited up and ready to take the field with a humongous wrapped cast on his left arm.

Sanders did not need many snaps to make an instant impact. With just one arm, Sanders launched a 43-yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Lauck. 

“Jack (Morris) is a great center and he gets it back there really fast so it’s hard to catch,” Sanders said. “I knew I wasn’t going to make the first throw so I just ran and told Kaleb (Lauck) to go. I threw it into the endzone and it was perfect.” 

Koper was proud of his team’s ability to rally together and pull off a win. 

“They played hard and they kept fighting through it. We were a little discouraged at halftime but we really rose up and played a good second half. If you take away four or five plays, I thought we played a great game with a lot of different guys,” Koper said. “Brody Reel did a great job running the ball. Offensive line, we were plugging and playing some different spots and Drake Brandriff hadn’t played two ways all year and he did a great job.” 

Reel recorded 111 rushing yards, while Brandriff had one 37-yard reception and three tackles. The offense was not the only unit carrying the load. Defensively, Jay Sanders had two sacks, Skyler Johnson and Owen Wright each had one sack and Hayden Johnson and Jordan Lopez captured interceptions. Senior captain Jamarion Fulton was everywhere on defense – and even added a spark on offense.Taking on backfield duty for a couple of carries, Fulton broke free for a 57-yard touchdown. 

“I felt like I had to step up, especially being a senior too,” Fulton said. “I knew if I played hard and the rest of us played hard, that'd motivate us to play a good game, and it turned out pretty well.”

Fulton amassed two sacks, five tackles and 90 rushing yards. 

“I’m passionate about my team and I knew my coaches were counting on me to play good. It motivated me knowing that everybody has my back, so I just did what I could do,” Fulton said. 

Warrenton improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Warriors travel to Orchard Farm at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17 to take on the Eagles (7-0) in their final conference game.

“Going into (this) week, as long as we keep our heads straight, we definitely have a big chance to win,” Fulton said.