The Warrenton Warriors scored four touchdowns and limited Winfield to one defensive touchdown in their 28-7 win last week.
After a scoreless first quarter, Warrenton (2-5) scored a pair of second quarter touchdowns to take a 15-0 lead into halftime. The Warriors scored almost halfway into the second quarter on quarterback Charlie Blondin’s 7-yard touchdown run. Blondin threw a 34-yard touchdown to Colton Brosenne on a deep pass with under three minutes late in the half to give the Warriors a 15-0 lead.
The scores came after Warrenton had unfavorable field position the first couple possessions of the first quarter. Warrenton’s first possession started at their own 1-yard line.
“We kind of got in a bad spot the first couple of drives and we wanted to do a few different things that we didn’t show this week yet because we weren’t in the right spot on the field,” Warrenton football coach Jason Koper said. “We didn’t have the sticks in our favor there. So we were a little safe.”
Once the Warriors were able to flip the field position in the second quarter, Koper liked the Warriors’ offensive attack the rest of the game. He thought they had a balanced attack, with Blondin making some big throws and running back Austin Haas making good runs. Koper added they had multiple receivers with catches in the game.
Winfield trimmed the Warrenton lead to 15-7 on a defensive touchdown on the first possession of the second half. Gage King intercepted a Blondin pass and returned it for a touchdown. Warrenton responded by driving down the field for a touchdown to take a 21-7 lead. Haas scored on a 6-yard rushing touchdown on 3rd and goal to give Warrenton a two-touchdown lead.
“That’s the maturity level of our team that has started to escalate from the last few weeks,” Koper said. “At the beginning of the season, I think if we were in that situation, we would have struggled to move the ball. But we’re growing up. We’re making big plays. And we responded really well. That’s the sign of a mature team playing four quarters that I was looking for and they did a great job responding to that.”
Later in the third quarter, Blondin connected with Brosenne on a 58-yard touchdown pass to extend the Warrenton lead to 28-7.
The Warrenton defense did not allow any points when they were on the field the whole game. They stopped Winfield a couple times deep in Warrenton territory late in the game. Koper believes the Warrenton linebackers played spectacularly and played a large role in the shutout.
“They played a heck of a game,” Koper said. “They were fired up all week. I expected them to come out here and play very well. We told them all week we believed they had a shutout in them. And they stepped up and played a great game.”
Warrenton is now 2-1 in GAC North play this season. They will look to improve to 3-1 in conference play this week. They host Orchard Farm (1-6) at 7 p.m. Friday.
“I like those kind of wins,” Koper said. “Those battle wins, they’re huge. It makes you work for it. You’ve got to play four quarters. We had to step up several times on defense. We had to drive the ball on offense. We had some where we didn’t execute and we were able to have our defense step up. And by doing all that, that just makes you a better team.”