The Warrenton football team’s first road game of the season could not have had a worse start, as Duchesne’s Mike Deluvia returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Friday’s 33-23 GAC North defeat dropped the Warriors to 1-1 on the season. Head Coach John Atwell said special teams were something his team needed to work on. “We had good special teams last week,” he said. “The funny thing is that it looked like we hadn’t practiced it before, but we practice for 30 minutes every day. They just kept getting to the outside on us.” Turnovers also cost the Warriors. Quarterback Evan Costello went 13 for 33, throwing two touchdowns and three interceptions. “They prepared better for us than we prepared for them,” Atwell said. “It happens. Duchesne did a really good job and you’ve got to tip your hats to them. We caught some bad breaks on turnovers and we had some balls that were high or were tipped.” It was more than bad breaks, however, that put the Warriors into a giant hole at halftime, 27-7. Warrenton had taken an early lead, going ahead 7-6 on a four-yard run by Austin Black with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter.Duchesne quarterback Ricky Leach countered by connecting with receiver Drew Moore on a 24-yard touchdown pass to finish off the period.The second quarter only saw the Pioneers increase their lead as Leach hit Deluvia for a 47-yard touchdown strike and running back Chad Sams scampered his way to a 34-yard touchdown run. Atwell said his team was faced with a challenge in running their offense. “When it rains, it pours,” he said. “Duchesne started to limit us on offense. Do we keep passing because they had two big kids up the middle. We didn’t run anything new, they just beat us up front. We’ll just look at the film. Everything that happened can be fixed.” The attitude of the Warriors was revitalized during halftime, but the Pioneers widened the gap once more in the third quarter with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Leach to Moore. The Warriors entered the final quarter of play trailing 33-7 and despite there being a mountain to climb, began to show some life. A 26-point lead for the Pioneers was quickly shaved to just 10, as two quick strikes from Costello to receiver Jason Bunge brought the Warriors back to life. The team converted on both two-point conversions. Bunge’s seven receptions were good for 118 yards, which led the team. His 31 and 34-yard touchdown receptions were exactly what Atwell had in mind, but it was too little, too late as the Pioneers were able to run out the clock. “We try to find the positives in that we competed when things weren’t going our way,” Atwell said. “The worst case is that we would have had no fire, but I’m proud of the way we competed.” He admitted that while a loss is something no team ever wants to endure, he said his team would benefit in the long-run. “We had to buy in when we were down and it was tough,” Atwell added. “If we lose, we’re going to help these young men be responsible men for others.” He said the loss is in the past. “It’s history as soon as it happens,” said Atwell. “We’ve got a good staff and we don’t ever sit back and feel satisfied. Nobody likes the feeling of losing, so we’ve got to change it. There’s been a commitment from everybody. I don’t question any of that.” The Warriors will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. as they take on Fort Zumwalt North in Warrenton.