A decade-long drought came to an end on Friday, as the Warrenton football team claimed its first victory over St. Charles West since 2010 with a 35-20 win.

The last time the Warriors had triumphed over their GAC North foe, they went on to a runner-up finish in the MSHSAA Championships. Coach Steve McDowell witnessed both during his 29 years in the districts and understands the rarity of a win over the perennial powers.

“The boys really came out and played a tremendous game,” said McDowell. “They played great defense in the first half, and then our offense got rolling pretty good. I was very proud of how our guys played.”

The triumph didn’t come without a battle down to the finish, as the Warriors scored the last three touchdowns in the final seven minutes to overcome a 20-14 fourth-quarter deficit.

“Our kids showed resiliency to come back and fight,” said McDowell. “They fought through adversity, and that’s kind of what we’ve been harping on all season — is battling back when you get down. We’ve played them close in past years, and this time we were able to get it done.”

The offense was ignited by the return of junior Quincy McRoberts, who unleashed a breakout performance with 252 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.

“Quincy had an outstanding game,” said McDowell. “He did a phenomenal job of hitting some very nice holes created by our offensive line.”

It took a few drives for the offenses to find pay dirt, with McRoberts putting the Warriors on the board first with an 11-yard run with 3:17 left in the first quarter.

Junior quarterback Caelon Weir extended the lead on a one-yard keeper just over a minute later, after the Warriors capitalized on one of four St. Charles West turnovers.

“Our secondary played pretty good and knocked down some key passes,” said McDowell. “We made them give up the ball on several occasions.”

Senior Jacob Parker proved strong on defense with an interception and a team-best nine tackles.

While all of the Warriors’ touchdowns were on the ground, the rushing game was established through the accuracy of Weir, who kept St. Charles West off balance by completing 10 of 17 passes for 150 yards.

Trailing 14-0 at halftime, St. Charles West’s Dominic Flint was able to break a 63-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter. Flint reeled off two more consecutive scoring plays to place his team in command.

But McRoberts refused to be outdone on Homecoming night, countering with six and 10-yard touchdown runs of his own to secure the victory.

“He really attacks when he runs and is able to lower his shoulder, take the first hit and bounce off,” said McDowell. “He has tremendous leg drive after that first contact. Once he gets to that second level, there’s very few people who are going to catch him.”

Junior Isaiah Jones added the finishing touchdown for the Warriors on a two-yard run with 1:45 remaining. When Warrenton scored, it did so in clusters — two touchdowns within a minute, three seconds in the first quarter and three touchdowns within a five minute, 18 second span in the final period.

The Warriors have won their last two games, after beginning the season 0-3.

“It really boosts our confidence getting on a two-game streak,” said McDowell. “We’re becoming a better ball club each and every week and just getting everybody on the same page. Having that swag coming out on Friday night — that’s huge.”

The Warriors received contribution across the board, totaling 422 yards of offense.

Weir connected with senior Andrew Cox on three catches for 90 yards and junior Kolby Meine hauled in three receptions for 32 yards. Senior Chase Cook snagged two catches for 14 yards.

Defensively, three different Warrenton players recovered fumbles, including seniors Shane Brosenne, Jack Russell and sophomore Troy Lundy.

Senior Colton Dyche added a sack and three tackles.

Warrenton travels to Union for non-conference action this Friday at 7 p.m.