Another big region test awaits the Pioneers at Nunley Stadium Friday night. Warren County will welcome the Gallatin Green Wave this week, renewing a rivalry that has been dormant since 2000.
The Pioneers and Green Wave faced off six times from 1993-2000, with Gallatin winning every matchup, before the teams went their separate ways for two decades. Now they’re back as Region 4-6A foes and coach Matt Turner knows all-too-well about the allure the Green Wave can bring when they step on the field.
“I remember playing Gallatin. You always remember seeing that big ‘G’ on the helmet and them coming on the field,” said Turner. “Not a ton has changed since I was player and we were playing them. They’re still a tough team and will have a roster full of talented athletes.”
Warren County (1-3) is hoping to snap a three-game losing streak Friday, but the task won’t be easy. The Pioneers were steamrolled 53-13 in last week’s matchup with Mt. Juliet at home and the Green Wave present some of the same matchup issues as the Golden Bears.
Gallatin (2-2) is coming off a commanding 48-14 win over Dickson County and nearly pulled off an upset of Mt. Juliet – now ranked in the top 10 of the state’s 6A AP poll – in Week 3. The Green Wave are led by senior tailback Za’Kyian Brinkley, a bruising running looking to continue a dominant year.
Brinkley already has piled up 562 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, while adding five catches for 40 yards and another score. He was a monster against Mt. Juliet (25 carries, 257 yards) and followed it up with 20 carries for 122 yards and two scores in last week’s blowout.
“We’ve played some tough quarterbacks through four weeks – some dual-threat guys who could test our defense with their arms or legs. Gallatin doesn’t mind just giving the ball to their back and letting him do the work. He’s a tough kid to bring down – we have to fly to the ball and get multiple guys involved on every tackle,” said Turner.
Warren County’s defense had its moments last week despite giving up a season-high in points and yards. The Pioneers forced three turnovers against the Golden Bears, two coming from junior safety Gage Harris. The first-year player had an interception and recovered a fumble in the redzone, while new starting cornerback Brayden Knight added an interception of his own.
The Pioneers should get an opportunity to get their hands on more passes this week as Gallatin QB Jackson Stroup operates an up-tempo offense that likes to read and react. Stroup has thrown for over 200 yards in three of his team’s first four games, including 264 and 250 yards, respectively, in his team’s two wins. Stroup has thrown 10 touchdowns to just one interception while completing 55.6 percent of his passes.
Warren County will be using a sophomore of its own to try to match Gallatin’s scoring Friday. Brady Swallows will be making his second start as he continues to fill in for injured senior Alex van Vuuren. Swallows flashed some playmaking potential last week when he uncorked a deep ball for 71-yard TD to Jax Patterson and finished his first start with 113 yards and a score.
Most importantly, Swallows protected the football as he bounced back quickly from being thrown into the fire at Lebanon and throwing three interceptions.
“It’s hard for any kid, but especially a sophomore in his first year of varsity football, to go in after an injury and try to make things happen in a close game. Brady showed he could make the throws last week. We’ll continue to let him operate and try to keep defenses honest on the back end,” said Turner.
Fans can take a little extra time making their way to Nunley Stadium this week. Gallatin requested extra time to make the trip to Warren County and kickoff has been moved to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available on the GoFan app and will be sold at gates prior to the game.
