Friday’s meeting between Warrenton and Orchard Farm could not have been any more back and forth. The GAC Conference foes traded touchdowns without flaw, setting up for a thrilling finish that left …
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Warrenton Football Lets Opportunity Slip
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
Friday’s meeting between Warrenton and Orchard Farm could not have been any more back and forth.The GAC Conference foes traded touchdowns without flaw, setting up for a thrilling finish that left the Warriors disappointed.Orchard Farm delivered a game-winning pass with 19 seconds left, escaping 34-32 in Week Eight.“It was a really frustrating ending for us,” said Coach Steve McDowell.With the disheartening setback, Warrenton fell to 2-6, eliminating any possibility of hosting a first-round district game. McDowell says the Warriors will now most likely travel to either Hannibal or Moberly next Thursday.“We were in position to move up in the seedings,” said McDowell. “But we didn’t make the necessary defensive stops to give ourselves that opportunity on Friday.”It took both offenses nearly 18 minutes to find the end zone during a sluggish first half.Orchard Farm moved ahead 7-0 shortly before McDowell decided to implement an offensive look that he had intended to only be temporary.Having recovered a fumble deep in the Eagles’ territory, Warrenton reverted back to the Power-I formation that had yielded success a week earlier against Winfield.“We weren’t having much success moving the down the field, so we decided to line up our backs and try to be them at the line,” said McDowell.With Corey Eckenfels and Zach Logan trading carries, it proved to be very effective.Eckenfels scored the Warriors’ first touchdown with 3:13 left in the first half and reached the end zone three more times by the end of the night. He rushed for a career-best 131 yards on 27 yards.“Those guys did an outstanding job of running the ball,” said McDowell. “We were able to control the clock and have almost 80 offensive plays.”Warrenton had 77 to be exact, with the majority of those coming in the second half.After a rather unproductive first half, both teams unloaded four touchdowns a piece in the final two periods.“Our defense had done a pretty good in the first half, but we started missing tackles and making fundamental mistakes in the second half that cost us,” said McDowell. “Fortunately, our offense was able to carry us.”Eckenfels put the Warriors up 12-7 early in the third quarter, but with each score, Orchard Farm gained a minor advantage.Warrenton was having to rely on a backup kicker for extra points, so McDowell opted for the two-point conversion after each touchdown. Despite their relative ease in scoring touchdowns, the Warriors came up short on their first three two-point tries.“Having lost our starting kicker, we felt more comfortable going for two, but we just couldn’t punch those in,” said McDowell.Orchard Farm led 14-12 heading into an eventful fourth quarter, during which Eckenfels scored twice but was answered each time.“Both teams were pretty much scoring at will,” said McDowell. “It became pretty evident at that point that whoever had the ball last would probably win.”Trailing 28-26, Warrenton quarterback Braydan Chmiel hooked up Ryan Bradshaw on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 48 seconds remaining.“We did a great job of executing on that drive and felt like if we could just make a few stops, we’d get away safely,” said McDowell.But a lapse in coverage allowed Orchard Farm to counter, when Tyler Westerfield went 22 yards to Jiall Cage for one of the four touchdowns scored in the final 4:44 of action.“For whatever reason, we didn’t do our jobs defensively and broke down,” said McDowell. “They took advantage of the situation, and you’ve got to give them credit.”Warrenton finished with 381 yards of total offense, including 285 on the ground.Logan had 90 yards on 20 carries, while Chmiel had 64 yards on 13 attempts. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 96 yards.Ryan Bradshaw caught a season-best eight receptions for 88 yards.Orchard Farm racked up 442 yards of offense, rushing for 283. Quarterback Armand Keely accounted for 359 yards.Defensively, the Warriors were led by Jacob Abel with nine tackles.
Warrenton watched a potential win slip away last Friday when Orchard Farm scored with 19 seconds remaining. The Warriors fell out of contention to host a district game.
