White County Warriors defeat Sequatchie, 53-21

The White County Warriors traveled to Dunlap, on Oct. 27, to take on the Sequatchie County Indians to finish the regular season.  The Warriors were looking for a win that would give them a record of 8-2 on the year.  They were also looking to create momentum going into the playoffs.  The Indians were a good team with a 6-3 record. A win for the Warriors would give them a regional title due to a tie-breaker system. A good number of Warrior fans made the trip over the mountain and seemed to outnumber the home fans.

The Warriors received the opening kickoff.  On the first snap of the game, Tripp Pinion slipped on the beautiful new turf on Sequatchie’s home field. It would take awhile for the Warriors to gain their footing and get the offense going. After a false start and an incomplete pass, the Warriors were forced to punt.

The Indians came out firing on all cylinders. They ran the ball strong. The defense for the Warriors also struggled getting their feet under them. There were several missed tackles on back-to-back plays. The home team quickly found themselves in the endzone with a strong 38-yard run by Sam Evitts. The extra point made the score 7-0 in favor of the Indians.

The Warriors received the ball back and began to move the ball but after a first down they were forced to punt the ball back to the Indians.  The Indians would not do much on their drive and would punt the ball back to the Warriors.

The Warriors saw Malaki Dowell get a couple of nice runs that got them inside Indian territory. The Indians would read an intended screen pass out to Malaki and delivered a crushing hit on the Warriors’ star running back.  The Warriors would have to punt yet again.

The home standing Indians got their next drive going with a great pass over the middle.  They then hit a pass to the sidelines. Quarterback Payton Campbell then hit Lane Cavitt on a wide receiver screen pass that went for a 44-yard touchdown.  The extra point made the score 14-0.

As he has done through out the season, Malaki Dowell made a quick statement on the next drive. Malaki took the handoff on the first play and ran 75 yards for a touchdown. Nate Mullins kicked the extra point making the score 14-7 in favor of the home team.

The Indians’ next drive was a strong one.  They marched the ball down the field with a mix of the run and pass. The workhorse on the drive was running back William Skyles who would have a strong run of over 20 yards.  He would also take in the touchdown from six yards out.  The extra point would make the score 21-7 in favor of the Indians.

The Warriors got good field position on the next drive thanks to a great return by Antonio Purvis.  Tripp Pinion would break loose for 15 yards.  Pinion would hand the ball a couple of plays later to Malaki Dowell who would carry the ball into the endzone from 20 yards out.  The Mullins extra point made the score 21-14.

The back-and-forth first half saw the Indians start another strong drive. A first down pass was followed by a strong run.  It was then that Demarious Dowell made the defensive play of the night. Demarious intercepted the ball and returned it to the Indians’ 30-yard line.  It would only take the Warriors a few plays to get into the endzone again, tying the score at 21-21 after the extra point.

The Indians had to turn to backup quarterback Caleb Moffit for the remainder of the game. He led the Indians down the field on their next possession. The 28-yard field goal was missed by Indians’ kicker Aiden Wilson. The Warriors were given the ball back with just a little time left on the clock. But the Warrior offense doesn’t need much time to score.  After a couple of plays, Malaki Dowell would break loose for a 69-yard touchdown. The Mullins kick would give the Warriors their first lead at 28-21 just before the half.

The Indians would receive the second half kickoff and would move the ball down the field. The defense for the Warriors would stiffen.  Bray Frasier knocked down and passed, and the Warriors were able to force a turnover on downs.

The Warriors kept the offense in high gear on their next drive. Pinion kept the ball for a 20-yard run. He then made a beautiful play as he scrambled to his left, avoiding would-be-tacklers, when he spotted his big tight end, Grayson Walker, open down the right side of the field. Pinion threw a rocket of a pass, and Walker caught it and carried it 38 yards down the field to about the 10-yard line.  Two plays later Dowell took in another touchdown. The extra point was no good, making the score 34-21.

The defense of the Warriors was in high gear as well as the Indians took the ball back after the kickoff.  The pressure was intense. Bray Frasier came up with a huge sack on the Indian quarterback. The Indians had to punt yet again.  That punt, however, was a short, hard kick that bounced off a White County defender and was recovered by the home team. The defense of the Warriors wasn’t fazed as they just kept playing hard.  Rylan Bumbalough came up with a huge hit and stop on a screen pass that caused the Indians to turn the ball back to the Warriors.

On the first play of the next drive, Tripp Pinion scored on a keeper from 65 yards out. The extra point made the score 41-21 in favor of the Warriors.

The Indians had a long return on the ensuing kickoff, leaving them just 35 yards from the endzone. The White County defense forced the Indians to turn the ball over on downs.

Tripp Pinion would take the next snap and would rush into the record books as he became the first White County quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.  He did so by busting loose for an 87-yard touchdown.  The extra point was missed. The score was then 47-21.

The second team defense would take their turn facing the Indian offense on the next series. They were up for the challenge. The young Warrior defense stood strong and forced another Indian punt.

The second team offense took the field for the Warriors.  There was good blocking by TJ Dodd, Max Baker, Daymon Conley, and the rest of the Warrior line.  Exavior Gamblin and Isaiah Kelso did their best Pinion and Dowell impersonations and drove the ball down the field. Gamblin broke free on a couple of big runs from his quarterback position. Kelso got his first varsity touchdown as he carried the ball in from the 11-yard line. The Warriors yet again showed sportsmanship as they took a knee on the extra point making the final score 53-21.

The Warriors have finished the regular season with a record of 8-2.  Their two losses are by a total of five points.  Due to Mt. Juliet’s win over Green Hill, the Warriors have finished with the two-seed from region 5-5A and will host a playoff game for the first time since 2013.  The Warriors will be looking for their first playoff win as they face the Franklin County Rebels who are having their best season in years at 7-3.