At some point, the Warrenton football roster has got to seem like it's being held together with ace bandages and a prayer.

Just as the Warriors (2-1) are piling up the points throughout a positive start, the slots in the training room are also filling up.

Still, Warrenton junior wide receiver Keegan Lehmkuhl chooses to look ahead with hope.

“We’ve got to get healthy, for sure; we’re missing a bunch of guys,” Lehmkuhl said. “We’re missing four two-way guys. We’re two running backs down. We’ve got guys stepping up big for us. They’re doing really well. We just need to work on getting healthy.”

Among the injuries the team has dealt with so far are a torn Achilles for senior running back Isaias Hernandez, as well as issues for two-way players senior Drake Brandriff, and juniors Joe Greene, Scott Vanpool and Bradley Tucker, among others.

Facing a loaded St. Dominic roster, Warrenton fought valiantly before falling 31-14 to the Crusaders.

The game was 17-14 in the third quarter before two late Crusaders’ touchdowns put the game out of reach.

“A game like this won’t define us, but it will show who we are,” said Eli Schneider of the team’s start despite the injuries piling up. “This will shape us into the team we can be and the team we will be.”

Warrenton’s scores came on a Schneider 3-yard run in that third quarter after Mason Sanders found Jordan Lopez on a 20-yard scoring strike in the second quarter.

Warrenton Coach Jason Koper heaped praise on his guys for the team’s effort, despite the loss.

“Our guys battled hard; they played hard,” Koper said. “I really think if we look at our execution, it was probably our best on offense and defense. That third quarter was probably the best we played. We played fast; we played hard. There are a lot of positives going into week four.”

Still, without the team’s full complement of players, things didn’t always go to plan, such as a blocked punt early in the game.

“We’ve got a lot of subs; we’re missing several starters,” Koper said. “Hopefully, when we get them back, we can get back to our normal special teams scenario. Not to fault the guys, they played their butts off. We’re just beat up. I’ve never coached a high school team that has been able to grit through some wins with as many starters down as we have. Not just starters, but two-way, critical starters. Guys like Drake, Joe and Brad would make a huge difference for us.”

And then there was a near touchdown in the second quarter that would have made the 10-point halftime deficit a mere three.

Eli Schneider bulldozed his way downfield, carrying multiple tacklers at times, before fumbling near the goal line.

While the play was ruled a Dominic recovery and touchback, Schneider and the Warriors saw things differently.

“We looked at the tape; the ball was over,” Schneider said. “It just shows us we have to keep fighting, as a team, even when things like that aren’t going our way.”

On Friday, Sanders completed 10-of-17 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown while Eli Schneider ran the ball 24 times for 149 yards and lopez had seven catches for 105 yards.

On defense, Ty Thompson recorded an interception and Chase Hoelscher added a fumble recovery and Kale Lehmkuhl a sack. Eli Schneider led the team with 12 total tackles, including seven solo stops.

As the team gets ready to host St. Charles West at 7 p.m. on Friday, sophomore quarterback Mason Sanders echoed his teammate and coach about the resilience the team has shown.

“We’re doing this so far with nine starting varsity guys out,” Sanders said. “A lot of teams wouldn’t (be 2-1) after that. There’s a great group of guys here battling for each other.”