Brent Carden photos - There’s been plenty to celebrate the last two weeks for Warren County. The Pioneers will try to make it three in a row tonight in Hixson.
There are plenty of things that could grab Warren County’s attention Friday.
There’s no school. The Warren County A&L Fair is in full swing. The Pioneers are making their longest road trip of the season and dealing with an earlier-than-usual start. Waiting at the end of the drive is a Hixson team still searching for its first victory.
Eric Belew has a simple answer for all of it.
“No school . . . That’s just one reason to be distracted. The fair is two reasons to be distracted, but we’ve got a million reasons to be focused,” said Belew.
Warren County will take a two-game winning streak on the road Friday when it travels to Hixson for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. The Pioneers have climbed back to 2-2 with consecutive victories over Hunters Lane and Franklin County, including last week’s 34-21 win at Nunley Stadium.
Hixson enters 0-4 after losses to East Hamilton, Soddy Daisy, Chattanooga Prep and Loudon. The Wildcats have been outscored 152-36, but their schedule and record haven't caused Belew to lower his guard.
He remembers what happened a year ago.
Warren County's 2025 meeting with Hixson proved to be one of the turning points of Belew's first season. The Pioneers beat the Wildcats 31-14 on homecoming and used the victory as part of a run that eventually resulted in a 6-5 season and the program's first winning record since 2020.
None of that comes with Warren County to Hixson on Friday.
“I think going in both perspectives, maybe you’re playing a team this week that you didn’t play well against the year before or a team that you played well against the year before, that was a year ago,” said Belew. “We’ve got to make sure that we understand that just because we won by three scores last year doesn’t mean that we’re just going to be able to roll up to that place and they’re going to fold.
“They’ve got kids just like the last couple of weeks that can get behind you. They’ve got kids that can make you miss in open space. So they are well coached, they’ve got speed all over the field and we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing all the things that we’ve invested in over the last six months to be successful.”
The Wildcats are a younger team than the one Warren County saw last fall after graduating a large senior class. Hixson's early schedule hasn't done the inexperienced group many favors either.
Soddy Daisy rushed for more than 400 yards against the Wildcats in a 40-13 victory, Chattanooga Prep blanked Hixson 28-0 and Loudon rolled to a 48-7 victory last week. Hixson also opened with a 36-16 loss to East Hamilton.
Belew believes those opponents provide important context when evaluating the Wildcats.
“They did graduate a lot of seniors last year,” said Belew. “They were pretty good up front and they’ve graduated a lot of those guys. But last week, first play of their offensive game, they scored a touchdown on a screen, made somebody miss and took it about 70 yards for a touchdown.
“I know they haven’t scored a whole lot, but they played some pretty tough defenses. Loudon’s a really good team this year. Played a tough Soddy Daisy team as well and Chattanooga Prep, who’s got athletes just absolutely everywhere. So they’ve had a tough schedule.”
If there’s one thing on film that could catch the Pioneers’ attention, it’s been the success teams have had against Hixson in the run game. That’s been Warren County’s bread and butter all year.
The Pioneers have built their offense around a punishing ground attack led by AJ Whitman, who has topped 100 rushing yards in all four games. The junior quarterback enters Friday with 728 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. He has rushed for 158, 202, 124 and, last week, a season-best 244 yards in the first four weeks.
Whitman was also at his best in the air against Franklin County, completing 8-of-11 passes for 75 yards and two more scores. His touchdown passes went to Wesley Romzek and Colton Wood, giving Warren County another glimpse of what its offense can become when defenses devote too much attention to stopping the run.
Belew isn't interested in simply copying what others did successfully against Hixson, though. He's more interested in what happened next.
“When you see a team like Soddy Daisy, they’re foot-to-foot, old-school Wing-T. They’ve got a lot of size. They’re going to run right at you. They’re going to play inside the hashes,” said Belew. “I think what we try to do is not so much what worked early, but what adjustments did Hixson make because that’s probably what they’re going to be doing for you out of the gate.”
Ultimately, Belew wants the Pioneers dictating the game instead of changing their identity based on Hixson.
“We want it to be more about us,” said Belew. “We’re kind of living in our world of doing what we’re supposed to do, doing what we’re comfortable with, but also doing enough to where we have answers also.”
That world has increasingly become one where Warren County wants to make defenses work for everything.
The Pioneers had two six-minute drives against Franklin County. Warren County wants to run the football, stay ahead of the chains and make Hixson's defense withstand lengthy possessions. The longer those possessions last, the more Belew believes the advantage can shift toward his offensive line and backs.
“We’re going to run the ball,” said Belew. “We feel like we have a good pass game as well, but it’s no secret on what we’re going to try to accomplish. But with that, when you have to string a lot of plays together, you’ve got to be really solid for a long period of time.
“Our players love it. They’re starting to foam at the mouth when the drives get long and they see the other team with hands on hips and people tapping their heads. I want to see us lean into that world more, bringing the defense into that world.”
Coach Belew is no stranger to delivering motivational speeches this season.
Sustaining drives can also serve another purpose against a Hixson offense with athletes capable of creating explosive plays.
Belew wants Warren County to limit the number of possessions and continue winning the turnover battle. The Pioneers forced three interceptions against Franklin County, including Dylan Aguilar's pick-six late in the third quarter that turned a seven-point game into a 34-21 advantage.
“One of the best parts of your defense can be your offense if you’re keeping their offense off the field,” said Belew. “We’ve got to be able to string drives together. I was really excited about having two six-minute drives last week.
“I think shrink the amount of possessions and then creating turnovers will be the most beneficial for us.”
Warren County will have another challenge before the football is ever kicked.
The Pioneers haven't traveled for a game since going to DeKalb County four weeks ago. Friday's trip will also be almost a 90-minute trip while crossing time zones, though it could be of help that Warren County won’t be in school because of Fair Day.
Belew said the team will get together at noon, giving the staff time to monitor meals and hydration before leaving for Hixson. Those things could be critically important on what could be a particularly hot first half.
Belew noted that the matchup will have extended timeouts and water breaks in place, based on TSSAA regulations, for the first half. Warren County will travel with additional hydration supplies and equipment available if a player experiences heat-related problems.
It's another change - another thing to take away from “keeping the main thing, the main thing” as coach Belew likes to say - but the second-year coach also believes his team is ready to keep its focus on the Wildcats.
“We’ve got maturity,” said Belew. “We’ve got kids that thrive in those moments. They kind of love any type of different excitement. They’re kind of just like, ‘Bring it on.’ I think they’re ready for the challenge.”
When Warren County and Hixson kick off Friday, The Warren County Sports Authority will have the game broadcast live on Facebook and the Studio 605 YouTube channel.
