The Warrenton football team is ready to get back to work after suffering its first GAC North Conference loss of the season on Oct. 3.

The Warriors lost 24-14 to Holt to drop to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in league play. They had wins over Winfield and St. Charles West in conference play before the loss to the Indians. 

Warrenton coach Jason Koper acknowledged the stinging loss but also stressed the importance of moving forward. 

“We’re going to have to overcome some obstacles, just get back to work and get the guys ready to go,” Koper said. “While it’s disappointing that we lost our first conference game in a while, it’s time to get over it, go out and get ready for a win.” 

Warrenton got off to a strong start, leading 14-0 in the second quarter.

“I felt like we were doing everything right for the most part offensively. We were completing passes and we were doing an effective job running the ball,” Koper said. “In the first half, we were the better football team and the scoreboard just happened to be even.” 

The teams were tied 14-14 at halftime before Holt pulled away in the second half, outscoring Warrenton 10-0. 

“There were some miscommunications and too many untimed penalties,” Koper said. “We just got to do a better job of getting our guys in the right spots.” 

Despite the loss, Koper noted there were bright spots. One being the return of kicker Jake Kinney. 

“(Kinney) was able to kick off and kick a couple of extra points for us after what looked to be a season ending injury, so that was exciting. Deadrick Forrest had a great game, Brody Reel had two touchdowns and our offense behind Jack (Morris), Marcus (Greene), Logan (Nichols), Ty (Cook) and Billy Speiser – those five guys had a heck of a game and did everything in their power to get us in a position to win a football game,” Koper said. 

Defensively, there were also highlights including Jake Mincher’s 13 tackles, but the team struggled to contain the Indians’ ground game. 

“Overall, we’re still a really good football team but unfortunately we made too many mistakes to beat Holt. They had a great game plan and they executed it well,” Koper said. “We just have to fill in some of those gaps, start making some more plays and not make as many assignment mistakes.” 

The Warriors will look to bounce back against St. Charles (0-3) at home for their homecoming game on Oct. 10. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. 

“We got to play as a team, get better, move some guys around and do what’s best for the team. We got to make sure that we are putting the team above our individualism – that’s all there is to it,” Koper said.