In football, the ideal plan for any unit is to develop the right system so anyone can step in, play their role correctly, and, as a result, the group finds success.

For the Warrenton defense, which is led by venerable coordinator John Jeskey, last Thursday’s 16-14 win at Washington was a testament to that plan.

Four times – with three of them coming in the decisive second half – the Warrenton defense stopped the host inside the Warriors’ own 20-yard line on the verge of a score.

Zero points, nothing, and that’s pretty much unheard of at any level of football.

For junior linebacker Skylar Johnson, who recovered a fumble to stall a Bluejays’ drive outside the red zone, the defense’s collective swagger is all due to Jeskey and the coaching staff.

“We were really persistent, as a defense, and we’ve been training a lot and training so hard,” Johnson said. “We came out in the second half and didn’t let them get anything like they did in the first half. We take a lot of pride in that.”

Sophomore Henry Schneider led the team with 14 tackles while junior Eli Schneider added 13 and junior Kale Lehmkuhl added nine. Henry Schneider, senior Jordan Lopez and junior Joe Greene also each recorded a sack.

Jeskey said that, with temperatures nearing triple digits, the defensive stand truly was a collaborative effort. He pointed out that several underclassmen put in valuable minutes to supplement a thinning unit.

While Washington quarterback Carter Hill ran for 240 yards on 37 carries, the youthful defense did its job. All told, Warrenton allowed just 38 yards beyond Hill’s effort.

“I had a bunch of young guys step up,” Jeskey said. “We started losing guys pretty early in the game to the heat. I was calling on freshmen and sophomores left, right and center. As I told the boys at halftime, our game plan was set in place. We just needed the guys to execute. They knew what the game plan was. We made adjustments, and even though we bent, we did not break.”

Seeing the team ultimately earn the win in adverse conditions, thanks in large part to its defense, Warrenton Coach Jason Koper gave Jeskey his due credit.

The defensive effort is nothing new, the head coach said.

“Jeskey does a phenomenal job, he’s the best defensive coordinator around and I’ll stand on that all day long,” Koper said. “The amount of time and effort he spends getting the guys ready, it’s no surprise to me anymore. He’s been doing this for years. He’s a phenomenal DC and we’re lucky to have him.”

When the team needed the defense the most, Warrenton’s unit didn’t disappoint.

After coming inches short on a two-point conversion that would have given the Warriors the lead, it was the defense that stood tall and forced Washington to turn the ball back over to Warrenton for the final drive, which ended when Jake Kinney booted the game-winning 23-yard field goal as time expired.

“That made us want to get a stop and go back and score again, which we did,” said Henry Schneider of the close call on the conversion. “We battled all night on defense. Everybody did their jobs. Everyone did (play an important role).”

On offense, Warrenton was led by Mason Sanders’ 19 completions for 227 yards and one score.

Jorden Lopez earned 157 of those receiving yards.

With two wins in hand, Warrenton will return home tomorrow (Friday) to host St. Dominic (1-1).

The teams have split the 12 previous meetings, with Warrenton winning the last game 28-26 in 2015.

“We’ll enjoy this one tonight,” said Koper after the win. “Then it’s time to go to work tomorrow.”