There wasn’t anything elaborate about St. Dominic’s offensive plan on Friday night. The Crusaders’ backfield did its best Larry Csonka impression, running straight ahead and inflicting a beating on the Warriors’ defense, which gave up 286 yards on the ground during its 41-20 season-opening loss. “We just did not play physical football,” acknowledged Coach Steve McDowell. “They just kind of manhandled us all night long. That was the telling tale.” Despite their inability to stop the run, the Warriors remained in the game until the third quarter. The Warriors controlled the momentum in the opening quarter, recovering a fumble on St. Dominic’s first play from scrimmage. Warrenton marched its way down field on the wheels of a balanced offense, with senior quarterback T.J. Lafaver capping off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. “We might have started to relax a little, instead of going for the throat,” said McDowell, of his team’s demeanor following the initial score. St. Dominic picked up steam on the ensuing drive, with Jake Wilmes scoring from three yards out. Stopping the Crusaders’ bruiser proved to be a formidable task, as he racked up 197 yards on 23 carries. “We did a lot of things we hadn’t done in practice all week, that we had practiced and prepared for,” lamented McDowell. “We just didn’t execute what we practiced.” The visitors continued to open holes in the Warriors’ interior, patiently grinding their way downfield. “We’ve got to be a lot more physical with our tackles,” said McDowell. Kyle Bazzell scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns on a three-yard plunge with 2:44 remaining in the first quarter. St. Dominic built a two-touchdown lead on another short run by Wilmes early in the second, but Warrenton was responsive in keeping itself in the game. Lafaver connected with senior Trevor Bradshaw in the back of the end zone on an 11-yard strike with 3:03 left in the half, closing the gap at 20-14. “Going into halftime, we’re still right there in it,” said McDowell. “We got the ball back and had a good kick return, but just didn’t capatilize on it.” McDowell says his team’s attempt to take control in the second half was short-lived, as it simply had no answer for St. Dominic’s ground attack. “It comes down to a depth issue,” said McDowell. “We’ve got so many two-way players are kids are gassed.” The Crusaders scored once more in the third quarter, before tacking on two more scores in the fourth. Warrenton’s final touchdown came on a six-yard run by Lafaver as time expired, helping to close the game on a positive note offensively. “Really, I thought we moved the ball okay,” said McDowell. The Warriors managed 210 yards of total offense, including 82 on the ground. Lafaver finished 15 of 28 for 138 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Senior Devin Roberts was pivotal in moving the ball, grabbing a team-high six receptions for 49 yards and gaining 15 yards on five carries. Defensively, George Wielms led the way with eight tackles. Luke Darity and Cale Prewitt each had six takedowns.