Studio 605 Coaching show with Pioneer head coach Eric Belew
Warren County has spent the last three weeks proving it can win in different ways. Friday night, the Pioneers will find out how they handle a team coach Eric Belew believes looks a lot like his own.
The Pioneers (3-2) return to Nunley Stadium looking for their fourth straight victory when Stone Memorial (2-3) comes to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff. With a win, Warren County would lock down its longest win streak since 2020, while the Panthers are looking for a bounce back after dropping two straight since beating Cumberland County 50-0 to move to 2-1 early in the year.
Belew, well versed in Crossville football talent from his time as head coach of the Jets, isn’t going to be fooled by the Panthers’ record. He expects a battle in the trenches.
“I think they're probably the most similar (to us) as far as strengths. We feel like their strengths are our strengths,” said Belew on this week's Studio 605 Coaches Show. “So it's going to be a really physical game in the box.”
Stone Memorial has plenty of reasons to believe it can win that kind of game.
Junior TJ McDowell has been the centerpiece of the Panther running game, while junior Max Warner has taken over at quarterback and shown an ability to make plays through the air. Senior receivers Kadyn Page and Dylan Phillips and senior tight end Carson McCoy give Warner multiple options in the passing game.
Phillips has been one of Stone's biggest playmakers, while McCoy and senior Lincoln Eldridge give the Panthers experienced two-way players. Eldridge is particularly familiar to Warren County after rushing 22 times for 140 yards and scoring the game-winning touchdown in Stone's 24-17 victory over the Pioneers last season.
Stone Memorial also has size where it matters most.
“They've got a transfer OL that came in that's a Division I player. He's going to be probably the biggest lineman we'll see this year. He's extremely physical,” said Belew. “But we feel like we're really physical in the box too. If that's the brand of football that you enjoy watching, it'll certainly be worth the ticket.”
The Panthers have already shown how dangerous their offense can be. Stone scored 34 points against Coalfield and exploded for 50 in a shutout of Cumberland County. The last two weeks have been tougher, with Upperman shutting out the Panthers 21-0 before Loudon won 35-21 last Friday.
Even the Loudon loss showed Belew why Warren County can't afford to relax. Stone fell behind 21-0 before storming back and going to halftime down only 28-21.
“They're sitting at 2-3. They're a team that won 10 games last year. They have an expectation of winning,” said Belew. “I can't imagine they'll come out with any other expectation than to show up and be fired up and ready to go. We've got to match that intensity and take it to the next level.”
The Pioneers should feel pretty good about the group being asked to slow the Panthers down.
Warren County is allowing only 16.4 points and 145.8 rushing yards per game. Opponents have converted just 10-of-57 third downs, a 17.5 percent success rate, while the Pioneers have forced 11 turnovers in five games.
Cameron Redmore has been one of the most active Pioneers around the football, while Carter Lee has three interceptions. Dylan Aguilar, Camron Holder, Canaan Curtis and Anden Green have also picked off passes, with Aguilar taking one back for a touchdown against Franklin County.
Belew believes those takeaways are a direct result of defensive coordinator Josh Harris getting everybody to run to the football.
“We talk about pursuing to the football all the time and why that's so important,” said Belew. “When you pursue to the ball, you've got more guys around the ball when it's in the air to get an interception.”
Belew pointed specifically to Aguilar forcing a fumble at Hixson as an example of what he wants the defense to look like.
“What I loved about the video that Brent Carden posted when Dylan created that fumble in the backfield was that there were about three or four white jerseys in the shot that had a chance to get the ball,” said Belew. “We all know the football is shaped funny. It's not going to bounce right back up like a basketball is going to do. So when you have all those guys around, you've just got a huge chance of you getting that turnover.
“It's the most important stat in football.”
Brent Carden’s video coach Belew referenced on the Studio 605 Coaches show. Follow Brent Carden on Facebook by clicking this link.
If the Pioneer defense has become a collective strength, AJ Whitman continues to be the headliner on offense.
Whitman enters Friday with 922 rushing yards, leaving the junior quarterback just 78 yards shy becoming the first Pioneers since CJ Taylor (2020) to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He has eclipsed 100 yards in all five games, including back-to-back huge performances against Franklin County and Hixson.
“He's a gamer . . . He's just got what you can't coach. He sees the game,” said Belew. “He's one of those that as soon as he steps on the field, the game's already slow.”
Whitman's legs get most of the attention, but Belew believes his development as a complete quarterback is just as important.
“Each week we're trying to throw more responsibility on and kind of see what his ceiling is mentally, and I haven't reached it yet,” said Belew. “People talk about his rushing ability, which is obviously astounding, but he's been efficient in the pass game. There's nothing he really can't do. I mean, he's exceptional.”
The possibility of reaching 1,000 yards comes on a fitting night. Taylor, the former Pioneer great, will have his No. 1 jersey retired Friday. Taylor piled up 1,567 yards and 21 touchdowns during his Mr. Football-winning 2020 campaign.
“It's pretty unique. Hopefully we can get the job done in that regard,” said Belew. “Obviously, the goal is for AJ to eclipse that mark within what we're trying to do. That would be really cool for us honoring CJ that day and then AJ to be able to do something like that.”
Belew also knows the milestone would belong to more than Whitman.
“I just want to see it because he deserves it. And our offensive line deserves it,” said Belew. “Them being able to wear that badge of honor, ‘Hey, we got somebody 1,000 yards.’ Those things, those goals are great to have. I'm never going to dismiss those.”
The Pioneers have plenty to feel good about entering Friday. After heartbreaking losses to DeKalb County and Livingston Academy, Warren County has responded by beating Hunters Lane 41-12, Franklin County 34-21 and Hixson 41-12.
Belew sees a group that hasn't changed much regardless of which side of the scoreboard it has been on.
“It goes back to our kids. They're just about the process. They just love where they're at,” said Belew. “They are where their feet are. I know it gets repetitive, but being a part of it is really, really special.”
Warren County and Stone Memorial will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday at Nunley Stadium. The Warren County Sports Authority will be on the scene to broadcast the matchup, which will also feature the retirement of Taylor's No. 1 jersey.
The Leigh Holland State Farm pregame show will begin at 6 p.m. The game broadcast on the WCSA and Studio 605 YouTube page will begin at 6:50 p.m.
