During its previous two victories over Washington, the Warrenton football team had gone down to the wire in nerve-wracking finishes, winning by just one possession in both 2014 and 2016.

The Warriors did not need a full 48 minutes to dispatch the Blue Jays in the latest meeting, never letting up in a 45-7 route at home on Friday to improve to 3-0.

“We were able to execute on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the first half,” said Warrenton Head Coach Steve McDowell. “Our defense played tremendously all game long. It was a consistent team effort.”

Despite the stark difference in the flow of the game and final score, there were at least two similarities to last year’s matchup. Once again, quarterback Brenden Smith wreaked havoc on the Blue Jays’ defense, and senior teammate Brandon Molinari made some of the game’s most pivotal plays.

“It always feels good to know I was a contributor in helping lead my team to another big win,” said Molinari. “As a receiver you only get so many chances to make plays, and fortunately with the help of Brenden, I was able to score early in the game.”

Molinari was the Warriors’ top receiver with 90 yards on five catches.

“He had a heck of a game tonight as a receiver,” said McDowell. “We were able to do a lot of different things tonight with both running and passing the ball.”

A year ago Smith made his varsity debut against the Blue Jays, showcasing his dual-threat ability. He again put that on display Friday, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another three, with 190 yards on 20 carries. Smith finished 12-of-16 passing with 164 yards.

Warrenton opened the game with Smith finding senior Caleb Strauss to put their team ahead 7-0 moments into the contest. Zac Blackwood added a 23-yard field goal before Smith found Brandon Molinari to extend the Warriors’ lead to 17-0 after one quarter.

“Smith is a great football player, and he does some great things,” said Washington Head Coach Derick Heflin. “Their offensive line is big and pretty good up front. When you have an athlete like him and are good up front, that’s a recipe for success.”

Washington advanced inside the 10-yard line in the second quarter, but turned the ball over on downs, watching Smith break away on a 45-yard touchdown run to give Warrenton a 24-0 halftime advantage. “Warrenton is the best team we’ve played so far, so it took us a minute to adjust,” said Heflin. “Defensively, we adjusted to them and started playing better offensively. It took us a half to figure out how big and strong they are up front and play with better leverage and better angles.”

Washington finally put itself on the board in the third quarter when Cory Hardesty found Logan Gratza on a 19-yard touchdown reception. Hardesty finished the game 6-of-11 for 53 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

The Warriors continued to showcase their diverse offense, as Smith hooked up with sophomore Nolan Chmiel on a 28-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 31-7 heading into the fourth quarter. 

“Nolan really came out to play tonight, with a touchdown reception and then an interception defensively to follow that up,” said McDowell. “We’ve got a lot of good young kids that are contributing.”

Smith scored two more times on runs of one and three yards in the fourth quarter.

“Going into the game we knew that the line had to win every down in order for us to finish the game where we wanted,” said senior lineman Chris Vogt, who disrupted the Blue Jays with a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss. “A large part of our 3-0 start has been our hunger for success. We know that we didn’t achieve our full potential last year, so this year our goal is to surpass all expectations.”

Strauss and senior Alex Vogt each had five tackles to lead the defense.

Sophomore Logan Down complimented Smith’s running game with 10 carries for 64 yards.

Chmiel and Strauss each had a pair of catches for the Warriors.

“For us seniors, we know there is no next time, so we have to get the job done well,” said Molinari.

The Warriors will host St. Charles this Friday at 7 p.m.