By Derrick ForsytheRecord Staff WriterIt didn’t take long to realize the effort put forth by the Warrenton defense throughout the week was going to pay dividends on the field during its Week Two matchup at Troy.The Warriors set the tone early on Friday, keeping their hosts scrambling offensively en route to a 37-13 victory to improve to 2-0 on the season.“Defensively, we did an outstanding job,” said Coach Steve McDowell. “I’m very pleased with what we showed in that area.”Troy went three-and-out on its first drive and stalled again on the ensuing possession. The Trojans were held to just 1-of-7 passing for 15 yards, while rushing for 253 — 102 of those amassed on two plays.“That really diminished their spirits, and we just kept stepping on their throats to stay in control,” said senior linebacker Jacob Null. “We never relaxed. Coach (Eric) Murphy prepared us all week to key our wings. When they go in motion we were supposed to shift, and that really put us in a good position to take out that style of offense.”That defensive persistence bought time for a Warrenton offense that was ultimately effective but slow to start. When the Warriors finally found an offensive rhythm, they traversed the field in a hurry and exhibited tremendous balance, with four different players reaching the end zone and two others contributing points.“I felt like this was a great team effort, because we were able to get so many people involved,” said senior quarterback Braydan Chmiel, who had a career-best night for a second consecutive week, throwing five touchdown passes to one interception, going 13 of 27 with 217 yards. He connected with seven different receivers — his most frequent target being senior Hunter Russell, who hauled in six catches for 120 yards.“When we show that many weapons, it’s difficult for them to lock down every possible scoring threat we have,” said Chmiel.Three touchdowns in the final 5:44 of the second quarter gave the Warriors a comfortable 28-7 halftime cushion.Russell grabbed the first of his two touchdown catches, a 14-yard reception, with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter.Troy responded to take a temporary 7-6 lead early in the second quarter, when Thomas Larson broke from the left to the right side on a 50-yard race to the end zone.Russell provided more fireworks with 5:44 left in the second quarter, escaping coverage on a short slant route for a 56-yard touchdown catch to put the Warriors back in command.Warrenton’s offense would appear virtually unstoppable the remainder of the half, racing down the field on big-play drives.Chmiel connected with senior Justin McBroom on a 35-yard touchdown to cap off a four-play drive with 1:11 remaining. The Warriors got another offensive possession before heading into locker room and made the most of it, as Chmiel hit sophomore Caleb Strauss on a five-yard touchdown strike with 15.1 seconds left.“That was huge going into halftime,” said McDowell. “We knew when we got the ball back with about 2:00 left, that gives this offense plenty of time.”He implored his team to put away the opposition immediately into the second half.“I’m happy, but I want us to get that sense of urgency and take care of things when they need to be taken care of,” said McDowell. “I told the boys when we come back out, let’s finish it. We had a couple of drives where we got down there and just couldn’t complete it.”Troy experienced increased success on offense during the third quarter, punching in a 57-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds remaining.The Warriors hunkered down again in the fourth period putting the reins on their host to secure a win over Troy for a second straight season.Senior Dillen Mayfield booted a 26-yard field goal, while junior Devon Norman hauled in a three-yard touchdown pass with 2:12 remaining.McDowell says the Warriors are cautious not to get overly excited about their 2-0 start. Last season Warrenton opened with five straight wins before losing four out of its next five.“We win a 37-13 ballgame, and we’re still talking about things we need to work on to be a better ball club,” said McDowell. “We’ve got a few things we need to get figured out on our line offensively, and once we do that, we’ll be able to come back to more basic stuff instead of having to depend on that deep ball every time.”Warrenton finished with 119 rushing yards, led by senior Jacob Manion with 69 yards on eight carries. Chmiel added 28 yards on seven carries.Senior Jacob Abel anchored the defense with 10 tackles, while Null added four takedowns.The Warriors will host Washington during Week 3.

Senior quarterback Braydan Chmiel threw a career-high five touchdown passes in a 37-13 victory over Troy. He connected with seven different receivers while throwing for 217 yards.

Derrick Forsythe photo.