For the second week in a row, the Warrenton football team found itself on the painful end of a game decided in the final moments. Only this time, Coach Ken Moore could not fault his team for lack of effort. The Warriors battled for a full four quarters against Washington, falling short 34-27 and dropping to 0-2. "We let this one slip away," confesses Moore. "For the most part, we played really good on both sides of the ball. We just had a few breakdowns on defense." His team had notched the game at 27-27 on its final drive of the third quarter. The game remained tied until Washington quarterback Justin Hinni scampered in from three yards out with 56 seconds left in the game. Still, the Warriors had a shot to regain control. "I thought we did a pretty effective job running our two-minute offense," said Moore. In a game where drives lasted mere seconds, it was simply not enough to overcome the Blue Jays on their home field. The setback was, however, far more respectable than the 38-7 defeat Warrenton faced a year ago in the same game. "Our guys played them tough," said Moore. "We gave them all they wanted. But I think the biggest difference from the Affton game (in Week One) was that this time our guys played a full four quarters. And considering the flurry of action that occurred immediately before halftime, the Warriors could have let go of their optimism. After a somewhat calm first quarter, the game reached a whole new level in the second. Senior Cody Lemons kicked off the scoring with a three-yard run with 4:52 left in the first quarter, putting the Warriors in command 7-6. The Blue Jays' Justin Hinni responded with a two-yard run with just under a minute left in the period. Warrenton led 7-6 heading into a second quarter that had its share of highlights in the final minute. Kevin Gratza scored on a 17-yard run to give Washington a 13-7 advantage with 4:01 remaining. On what appeared might be the final drive of the half, Adam Gildehaus hauled in a 44-yard touchdown strike from Hinni. Suddenly, the Blue Jays shot ahead by two scores. But Warrenton was determined to keep itself in the game heading into the locker room. Quarterback Scotty Lathrop hooked up with sophomore Nick Todd for a 64-yard score with just eight seconds remaining. Washington decided to make the most of its final shot at the end zone. Hinni launched the ball toward the end zone. It was tipped and when Tommy Reilly finally gained control he managed to score a 57-yard touchdown with no time remaining on the clock. Warrenton was dealt a 27-13 halftime deficit but Moore says his team did not lose its fire. "I was very happy with how our kids responded," said Moore. "Defensively, we played tough and kept them in check most of the night." Offensively, the Warriors had a changing of the guard in the third quarter. Lathrop scored on a three-yard run with 5:46 left in the quarter but would eventually exit after persistent muscle cramps. Lathrop ended up with 94 yards on eight of 19 passing. He also rushed 13 times for 56 yards. Todd came in to man signal calling duties and debuted in veteran form. "Nick stepped up and did a really good job," said Moore. "We had been wanting to get him into a game, but for a sophomore on that stage, he did really well." He connected with Lemons on a 10-yard score with :53 left in the third quarter. The game stood tied at 27-27 until Hinni tacked on the final touchdown of the night. "Hinni is a big kid, and he made plays with his arm and his feet," said Moore. "For us to keep him contained most of the night was an accomplishment." Moore recognized his defense was playing a solid four quarters. Senior Colby Turner led that attack with a team-high 12 tackles. "Our entire defense played well," said Moore. "If we could have taken away three or four plays from them, it would have been a different outcome." Todd completed nine of 14 passes for 154 yards in his first showing as varsity quarterback. Lemons led the Warriors receiving game, hauling in seven catches for 135 yards. Warrenton totaled 79 rushing yards. The Warriors will host their first home game of the season this Friday against GAC North foe St. Charles.