Brent Carden photos
Ben Matheney didn't need the final record to know his program was heading in the right direction. He could see it in the way his Pioneers played.
Warren County wrapped up its season with a 6-3 record, a mark that included a 5-0 start, two shutouts and a 28-14 victory over Tullahoma before ultimately falling to Upperman in its bowl game last week. For Matheney, the season represented another major step for a program that isn’t that far removed from years of winless football.
“I think this season showed the continuing growth of this program,” Matheney said. “There are a number of things that have went into it, but when I took over the program we went 0-14 and really struggled to even be competitive in most games. These young men are playing with confidence and that’s a much bigger factor than people realize.”
There was plenty of confidence built early.
Warren County beat DeKalb County 44-14 in the opener, went to Jasper and won 30-14, then dominated Bridgeforth 38-0 at Nunley Stadium. A 32-0 road victory over Lewisburg followed before the Pioneers blasted Coffee County 44-6 to reach 5-0.
By then, everybody was seeing what Matheney had started thinking about months earlier: The Pioneers were dangerous.
“I had expectations last year for this team to be good, but the thought of ‘dangerous’ really started hitting me in the spring,” Matheney said. “Coach (Isaiah) Grayson was locked in all offseason and came into the season focused on putting our offense in the position to score a number of ways.”
One major point of emphasis for Grayson, Matheney and the Pioneers was to make it wasn't going to be an offense built around one player. Matheney had already watched Dallas Gater, Bryson Carroll and Brody Chisam show their big-play ability the previous season. Then the Pioneers added more options.
“Even before we movedm (Mikhail) Wilcher into the backfield, I saw the potential for our ball carriers,” Matheney said. “Us giving Gabe Rowland the opportunity to carry the rock may have been one of the best decisions my staff has made.”
Gabe Rowland was a revelation in the backfield for the Pioneers.
In front of all those weapons was an offensive line that helped make all those options work.
“Our O-line really focused on the little things and showed they could be a major force,” Matheney said. “I knew with coach (Joe) Damon leading the defense we would be physical, and that is just the expectation year after year.”
That combination carried Warren County through its perfect start before E.O. Coffman finally broke the streak with a 41-22 victory at Nunley Stadium. The Pioneers hit more adversity late in the season and ultimately finished with three losses, including the bowl game against Upperman, but Matheney never saw a group that stopped believing it could win.
“This group is full of competitors,” Matheney said. “Even though some of the games at the end of the year didn’t go our way, the boys never stopped believing there was always a chance. I have no doubt that mindset will follow into high school.
“This group as a whole shows the younger guys the importance of playing together. The best example is Tullahoma.”
Warren County had lost two straight games and a number of playmakers were out when the Pioneers took on Tullahoma on a short week, but the team was unified in the mission on an early Saturday morning kickoff and dominated the matchup.
It was part of the growth process Matheney could see evolving each week.
“The biggest growth was just watching them as players understanding the game,” Matheney said. “They were able to understand where the pieces fit and adapt on the field. They are some of the smartest ball players I’ve coached and that’s because they are eager to learn and utilize everything that is given to them.”
Matheney is hopeful their example carries on long after they’re gone and doing big things at the high school - Most of all their willingness to show up long before eighth grade to learn the game.
“Our biggest challenge is getting kids playing for us multiple years before they move on to high school,” Matheney said. “For us, their seventh-grade year is huge. They are able to learn so much about the game and the scheme of things. If they wait until eighth grade, they are playing catch up.
“We had a number of kids who were with us multiple years (on this team) and they were able to have a lot of success with it.”
