The offensive line is rarely mentioned by name, absent from the stat sheets and often shy of the spotlight after a touchdown. 

But, after its performance against Winfield on Sept. 19, the Warrenton offensive line made its performance impossible to overlook. 

With a strong pass protection up front, the Warrenton football team claimed its first GAC North conference game in a 40-15 victory. The Warriors improved to 3-1 and bounced back from a loss to Liberty in a Week 3 game.

“They weren’t blitzing a lot and they were giving us all the time in the world, and just daring us to throw the ball,” center Jack Morris said. “We just threw that ball. We threw that thing a lot.” 

The Warriors sure did throw – and made school history while doing it. Deadrick Forrest broke school records for five touchdowns and 292 total yards in a single game in the wide receiver position. 

“I knew me and Bebo (Christian Blondin) were going to have that connection but to see it finally pay off, it’s nice. It really means a lot, especially after last week, to come back and get a win,” Forrest said. “I knew it was going to be a good game and mentally, I was ready for it.” 

Forrest accounted for four receiving touchdowns to help the Warriors turn in their largest offensive output of the season.

“This is a big turning point for us. We’ve struggled offensively and I think everyone is to blame for that including myself, but we really stepped it up and played as a team to put it all together,” Morris said. 

The line gave space for quarterback Blondin, who threw for 339 yards on 15 completions, most of which targeted Forrest.  

“We really picked it up from the Liberty game and worked on it,” offensive lineman Markel Greene said. 

Alongside his line, Forrest also touted his fellow wide receivers. 

“Once I got the ball, all the wide receivers were really good at blocking and they helped me out,” he said. 

Warrenton coach Jason Koper was impressed with his team’s performance across the board. 

“(Blondin) did a great job taking the time when he needed to and (Forrest) had a great game, but the offensive line’s pass protection was phenomenal. Those guys just blocked their butts off and there’s a lot of heart and soul out of those guys,” Koper said. 

Koper noted he put pressure on the offensive line to step up, but it delivered.

“They’re the most experienced individual position group we have, so we can’t have miscues and for the most part tonight, we didn’t,” Koper said.”They really cleaned up the blocking and we keep taking steps forward like this every week – that’s all you can ask for.” 

Koper emphasized that the game was more than just a win. Instead, it was used as an opportunity for the players to remember why they started playing in the first place – to have fun. 

“I feel like these guys felt a lot of pressure coming into the season to try and replicate what we did in the last two years and we’re a really good football team. We showed that tonight,” Koper said. “We just needed to relax a little bit and have some fun. Getting a win was just the icing on the cake but to see the guys bond together as a team and have fun was really what it was all about.” 

Forrest agreed, saying the win built up confidence and energy for his team. 

“Everybody seemed to have fun. Everybody was flying around and getting hyped at the big plays,” Forrest said. 

Warrenton will head to St. Charles West at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 in the battle of the Warriors as well as a conference matchup. 

“We’ve got a lot to prove and a lot to prove to ourselves,” Koper said.