An abundance of missed tackles looms over Warrenton’s 42-21 loss to Union on Friday.

Coach Ken Moore says it was difficult to watch his team let the Wildcats run for 200 yards after contact, struggling to bring down its very aggressive host.

The Warriors fell to 4-2, unsuccessful in their first nonconference meeting.

While Moore acknowledges Union played exceptionally well, he believes his team helped dig itself into an insurmountable deficit.

“I’ll have to give to Union credit,” said Moore. “They played physical are going to present problems for a lot of teams. But I look at what we did, and we hurt ourselves too.”

Union’s dominance on the line was evident on both sides of the ball. They were able to disrupt the Warriors’ rushing game, limiting them to just three yards per carry — half of the season average. And they created tension in the backfield, forcing plays to unfold to quickly for comfort.

“They put a lot of pressure on us,” said Moore. “Our line didn’t respond as well as I would have liked them too. We were missing some blocks and having to get rid of the ball fast.”

The Wildcats’ strength on offense enabled them to break tackles and rumble for substantial gains following failed tackle attempts. Moore says his team gave up 200 yards after initial contact.

“We were right there in position to make plays (defensively),” said Moore. “It just didn’t happen. We made mistakes on offense and had a ton of missed blocks.”

Union struck first, scoring on a 19-yard pass play to take a 7-0 lead after one quarter.

Senior quarterback Scotty Lathrop began feeling the heat from Union’s line as the game progressed. He connected on a four-yard touchdown strike to junior Nick Todd with 6:06 remaining in the half.

Union struck again with 2:41 left, as Ryan Baser broke free on a 17-yard run.

Warrenton found itself facing a 14-7 deficit and in need of halftime adjustments.

Moore decided to move Lathrop out of the signal calling role and use him as an alternate receiving threat.

“We tried to change some things up to see if they could handle having both Scott and Nick on the field at the same time,” explained Moore. “It helped us get going again.”

Sophomore T.J. Lafaver stepped in at quarterback, completing 11 of 18 passes before throwing a pair of late interceptions.

Union jumped ahead 21-7 midway through the third quarter, connecting on a 39-yard pass.

Lathrop answered with a 13-yard touchdown toss to Todd with 5:10 remaining in the quarter, before being employed at receiver.

Union took a 28-13 lead into the fourth quarter, tacking on two unanswered rushing touchdowns.

Junior Austin Black eventually countered with a three-yard burst into the end zone, but the Warriors were unable to match Union’s relentless attack.

“They were strong and physical,” asserted Moore. “You could definitely tell they’d hit the weight room.”

Still, Moore felt his team kept itself in position for a comeback until midway through the final quarter.

“We  were still in position to make it a game with 5:00 left,” said Moore. “We played a very good team on the road and still had a chance, which is positive.”

Ryan Coons 25-yard scamper over the goal line spelled the end for Warrenton with 1:47 remaining.

“They executed their plays well,” said Moore. “They didn’t throw anything at us we weren’t expecting. They just managed to execute better.”

Warrenton finished considerably under its season average in total yardage, amassing 184 yards through the air and 86 on the ground. Moore wasn’t completely disgruntled with the ball movement but says it will have to improve drastically against Washington in Week 7.

“We moved the ball decently but not as well as we had in other games,” said Moore.

Lathrop finished nine of 16 for 98 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 63 yards on 20 carries. Black added 19 yards on eight carries.

Todd the receiving crew with eight catches for 77 yards. Cody Bennett and Black each hauled in three receptions.

The Warriors will tangle with the Blue Jays on Friday during Homecoming action at 7 p.m.