Pioneers look to snap 0-2 start
Brent Carden photos - Captains, from left, Camron Holder, Ethan Holder, Ryan Romzek and AJ Whitman led the Pioneers onto the field at Nunley Stadium last week.
Warren County has spent two weeks proving it can put itself in position to win. Friday night, the Pioneers want to prove they can finish the job.
After back-to-back heartbreakers to open the season, Warren County (0-2) will get another shot at Nunley Stadium Friday when Hunters Lane comes to town. The Pioneers fell 10-7 in overtime at DeKalb County in Week 1, then watched a 14-point second-half lead slip away last week when Livingston Academy scored with 2.1 seconds remaining to win 27-21.
In the two losses, Warren County has actually outgained its opponents 617-508, including piling up 502 yards on the ground, but turnovers in the opener and a mountain of penalties against Livingston Academy have kept the Pioneers searching for their first victory.
Coach Eric Belew isn't interested in allowing those finishes to become baggage.
“What helps is how mature our players are. We really feel like we don’t have a negativity issue,” said Belew when asked about any residual affects from the tough start. “Our players see what causes the mistakes and are willing to fix them. They want to get better every day. Their desire to execute removes the distraction of ‘Here we go again.’ It makes it a great environment to be in.”
The focus this week has been less about dwelling on what went wrong and more about fixing why it happened.
Warren County was flagged 14 times for over 100 yards against Livingston Academy, bringing its season total to 22 penalties for 169 yards. Several came in the fourth quarter as the Pioneers tried to protect their lead, including a facemask in the final seconds that helped set up Livingston Academy's winning touchdown.
Belew believes correcting those problems starts well before an official reaches for his flag.
“The challenge with the staff this week has been to be problem solvers. Obviously, the penalties on offense was a big problem for us Friday night. So across the board on offense we have went back to fine tuning our technique,” said Belew. “Most of those penalties were a result of a misstep at the beginning of the play that got us out of position. So it’s a lot more than us just grabbing a jersey. We’ve gotta do everything right before the penalty happens to make sure we don’t position ourselves for penalties.”
Defensive coordinator Josh Harris echoed the emphasis on eliminating mistakes, particularly late in games. Harris said Warren County has spent the week focusing on playing the fourth quarter with the same attention to detail it has shown early.
“We played really good for three quarters. Well, now we got to finish,” said Harris while on the Studio 605 Coaches show. “They’re doing the stuff to correct what’s gone wrong so far. They’re pushing themselves when we’re practicing or running or doing our lifts and things like that. They’re trying to get their conditioning up to where it needs to be to be able to finish games.
“That’s what we’ve really been focusing on is finishing, finishing, finishing.”
From first TD to featured weapon
Few players better illustrate how much can change in a year than AJ Whitman.
The last time Warren County faced Hunters Lane, Whitman was a sophomore backup getting a chance to play in the second half of a blowout. He carried twice for 20 yards and scored the first touchdown of his varsity career on a 9-yard run as Warren County rolled 48-6 in Nashville.
The victory snapped the Pioneers' 21-game losing streak and was Belew's first as Warren County's head coach.
A year later, Whitman isn't waiting for the second half to get his chance - He's the player opposing defenses have to find on every snap.
The junior has rushed 37 times for 360 yards and three touchdowns through two games, averaging 9.7 yards per carry. He followed a 158-yard performance at DeKalb County by erupting for 202 yards and two scores against Livingston Academy. Whitman has also thrown for 115 yards, giving him 475 yards of total offense through two weeks.
The development around him has been encouraging as well.
“We feel like we’ve got players willing to step up. Dylan Aguilar is getting better every week,” said Belew. “We’re excited about our receivers willing to block their tails off like Carter Lee and Marek Sadlon. We tell them if you block, you get the rock.”
Aguilar has rushed for 95 yards on just 12 carries, including 70 yards against Livingston Academy. Lee leads the Pioneers with 72 receiving yards, while Isaac Smith has a team-best six receptions.
The running game has quickly become Warren County's offensive identity. The Pioneers are averaging 251 yards per game on the ground and 8.5 yards per carry as a team.
Hunters Lane will try to disrupt it with several defensive looks.
Harris expects the Warriors to use multiple fronts, including a bear front that can crowd the line of scrimmage. He also sees plenty of speed in the Hunters Lane defense, but believes Warren County's veteran offensive front can handle the challenge.
“They’re going to have a lot of people on the defensive line. They’ve got some linebackers, at least the body of the linebacker, that looks like they can get after it,” said Harris. “I think they’re pretty fast. We just got to do a good job up front, controlling the line of scrimmage and moving those guys. And I think we can. I think we will.”
Pioneers preparing for Warrior speed
Hunters Lane enters with an unusual 0-2 record.
The Warriors had to forfeit their scheduled opener against Clarksville Academy because they did not have enough players eligible after several late arrivals to the program had yet to complete the TSSAA-mandated heat acclimation period. Hunters Lane returned to the field in Week 2 against McGavock, giving Warren County its first actual film of this year's Warriors.
Harris saw a team that still has athletes capable of creating problems, even if they fell 36-0 on what ended being their opening night.
Hunters Lane operates primarily out of the spread, often using two receivers on each side. The Warriors want to establish the zone running game, mix in motion and sweeps and then use their speed to create explosive plays downfield.
“They really try to use the athletes that they have to get behind you,” said Harris. “They’re going to try to take some shots and they did it several times versus McGavock last week trying to get behind people and use the speed that they have.”
That's particularly notable because Hunters Lane's lone touchdown against Warren County last season came on a 69-yard run. Harris remembered the Pioneers losing contain on the play and doesn't want to see a repeat Friday.
“We got to keep them in our clamps and make sure that they don’t get outside of us and just do our job,” said Harris.
Warren County's defense has shown plenty through two games to give Harris confidence.
Smith and Camron Holder share the team lead with 22 tackles apiece, while Cameron Redmore and Sadlon have 18 each. Kolton Wood has 15, Ethan Holder has 14 and Colton Gater has 13 as Warren County already seen almost its entire starting defense come up with double-digit tackles through two weeks.
The work up front has particularly pleased Harris. A Holder has recorded more than 10 tackles from the defensive line in each of Warren County's first two games, with Ethan (12) doing it at DeKalb County and Camron (16) following against Livingston Academy.
“That helps out the linebacker production when those guys are having to get accounted for and it helps out the secondary if we’re getting to them quick,” said Harris. “We really try to put a big emphasis on the D-line getting mean and nasty and making plays in the backfield. It all starts there.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Nunley Stadium.
The Warren County Sports Authority pregame show, sponsored by Leigh Holland State Farm, will begin at 6 p.m. with coach Sullens, Simmons and former Pioneer QB Michael Thrower breaking down the game from Nunley Stadium. Game coverage, presented this week by First Wealth, begins at 6:45 p.m. on the WCSA Facebook page and on the Studio 605 Productions YouTube Channel. Postgame show, also sponsored by Leigh Holland State Farm, with Simmons and Thrower will be live from the field.
