With several starters sidelined by injuries, Warrenton junior Devin Roberts knew he would see an increase in responsibilities during Saturday's jamboree. The Warriors hosted De Smet, Parkway North and Northwest in a preseason primer and had to learn to function without some of last year's top statistical leaders. Among those missing was team captain Austin Black, who was battling the flu. In addition, leading receiver Nick Todd and quarterback T.J. Lafaver are both still recovering from preseason injuries. Their absence provided Roberts the chance to shine on the offensive side of the ball, where he didn't see considerable action last fall. Roberts was a catalyst on both sides of the ball on Saturday, impressing his coach with strong tackles and aggressive ball carrying. He handled the bulk of the Warriors' rushing duties, while first-year varsity quarterback Evan Costello adjusted to his new role. "I think we did pretty well," said Roberts. "I wish I could have gotten a few more yards, but today I realized that I could hold my own against these schools, and those are some of the biggest schools in Missouri." First-year coach John Atwell says the jamboree was an opportunity to assess the team's strengths and weaknesses in a live situation before heading into this Friday's season opener. "I liked the effort out of our kids," said Atwell. "There are some glaring things that came out that we've got to get better at, but that was our goal - to find out what we need to work on. There are some protection issues, some angles and some tackling issues that we need to work on." The team learned Saturday morning that Black was going to be unavailable, so Atwell turned to others capable of handling his duties. "We had to go with the guys we had earmarked when he wasn't going to be playing," said Atwell. "Granted you'd like to have No. 1's in there, sometimes you've got to go to those No. 2's and No. 3's." Roberts scored a receiving touchdown, and Costello also hooked up with senior Travis Doyle in the end zone to finish out the scrimmage. Aggressive play on the line by De Smet and Parkway North during the early stages occasionally allowed pressure into the backfield, but the Warriors developed a better offensive rhythm as the scrimmage progressed. "I saw some good things and also some things that we definitely have to work on," said Atwell. "I was pleased with his performance. Some of things that happen with a quarterback are when you don't have time to throw it. That doesn't fall back on his part." Atwell says a somewhat inexperienced offensive line will need time to develop, especially with a freshman immediately stepping to a varsity role. "This was a test to see what our guys are capable of," said Atwell. Defensively, Warrenton was faced with the challenge of trying to take down players significantly larger than them on many occasions. The predicament led to another injury, as senior Tyler Romaker broke his jaw while making a tackle. "We always try to prepare for the what-ifs the best as we can," said Atwell. "Injuries are always something you want to be prepared for." Romaker is expected to miss much of the season. The Warriors will open the regular season on Friday at home against St. Charles at 7 p.m.