Pioneers blast Bobcats, start 3-0
Coach Ben Matheney speaks to his team after the Pioneers pounded the Bridgeforth Bobcats 38-0 Tuesday night.
The WCMS Pioneers finally got to come home Tuesday night and, happy in their friendly confines, made sure Bridgeforth didn't enjoy the trip.
Warren County controlled the line of scrimmage, produced big plays on both sides of the ball and rolled to a 38-0 victory over the Bobcats at Nunley Stadium. The win pushed the Pioneers to 3-0 and gave coach Ben Matheney's squad its first shutout of the season.
"We're just gritty," Matheney said. "We've been telling them the last two days in practice, ‘if we go out and we execute and we do our best, they can't play with us.’ And I mean, they couldn't."
Depth again played a big part as Brody Chisam scored in three ways - a long run, a short catch and Pick 6 - while Gabe Rowland, Bryson Anderson and Ryan King all scored on the ground as Warren County won its first three games of the season for the first time since the 2016 season.
Rowland got Warren County on the board with a touchdown run and added the two-point conversion to make it 8-0. Then, Chisam doubled the advantage in a hurry.
Reading a swing pass perfectly, Chisam dropped into the flat, picked off the Bridgeforth quarterback and had nothing but green grass ahead of him. The Pioneer playmaker raced 78 yards for a pick-six to make it 14-0.
It was exactly the type of play Matheney believes Warren County's pressure up front can create for a potential ball-hawking secondary.
"The D-line got after it tonight - got in the quarterback's head - and I think that really opened up those interceptions," Matheney said. "It rushes those throws, so he's more worried about, 'Is 44 going to take my head off again? Is 22 going to come in and rip my head off?' as opposed to where he's putting that ball."
Warren County added another interception later when Aksel Thompson picked off a pass, while the Pioneer defense also came up with a huge red-zone stand late in the third quarter to preserve the shutout.
For Matheney, the dominance up front goes much deeper than sacks or pressures. It's also allowing Warren County's linebackers to run free and attack.
"We have some of the best linebacker play I would say you're going to see in middle school, and that is because the line's job is to keep the linebackers clean," Matheney said. "They are forcing double teams, they're forcing triple teams."
The same physicality has been showing up on the other side of the ball.
Warren County went up 20-0 right before halftime by showing one person can’t bring down a Pioneer ball carrier. Bryson Carroll hauled in a 22-yard reception, trucking defenders along the way, to spark the drive before Dallas Gater pulled the ball on a keeper and churned his way down to the Bridgeforth 3. Anderson finished the job from there, scoring with less than a minute remaining to send the Pioneers into the break ahead 20-0.
"On offense, it doesn't matter how good we're running if we're not making holes," Matheney said. "You're not running the ball as well as we are if you're not making holes. So the line, they're getting after it right now."
The Pioneers showed just how difficult that rushing attack can be to diagnose on Chisam's second-half touchdown.
After hammering Bridgeforth repeatedly with power, Warren County went to counter and Chisam split the defense. The Pioneer playmaker ran through the safety and finished off a 28-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 26-0 with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter.
It was old-school football mixed into a new-school formations and it kept the Bobcats on their heels all night.
"We are multidimensional because we are the only team that runs the triple option like we do," Matheney said. "Teams are having to focus on that so much. We don't even have to beat them with it. We just run power, power, power, and then we gash them with counter."
Matheney also credited Coach Grayson for putting the Pioneers in position to take advantage of what defenses are giving them.
"That's a lot on this team, but it's a lot on Coach Grayson, calling a good game and getting us in positions where the defense is like, 'We give up. We give up. Run whatever you want,'" Matheney said. "And that's our mindset. It doesn't matter what you throw at us. We're going to find a way and we're going to gash them."
Perhaps Warren County's best example came on a 94-yard touchdown march that started late in the third quarter.
Backed up near its own goal line, Rowland ripped off a big run to give the Pioneers breathing room. Chisam added a catch and run near midfield, then Warren County picked up another 15 yards when Bridgeforth was flagged for a late hit.
Another counter to Chisam eventually moved the Pioneers to the 3, where Gater rolled left and found Chisam open in the flat for the touchdown to make it 32-0.
Warren County added its final score late when Ryan King broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run.
Even with 38 points on the board, Matheney saw something else for his offense to clean up. Warren County struggled in short-yardage situations and failed to consistently cash in on two-point attempts, leaving what Matheney estimated was essentially another score on the field. Matheney also wasn't pleased with the defense allowing a few deep completions against the Bobcats and talented QB Major Garrett, but overall the Pioneers did what it took to get to 3-0.
Corrections will follow as Warren County gets a full week to prepare for Tullahoma in a matchup Matheney feels could ultimately decide which team takes the division this fall. The Pioneers will stay home next week, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. at Nunley Stadium.
