WCMS shuts out Manchester
A rainy night couldn’t cool the red-hot Warren County Middle School football team Tuesday.
While a 15-minute downpour prior to the Pioneers’ road contest against Coffee County made conditions slippery, the Pioneers persevered and kept their winning ways going, downing their hosts 22-0.
With the victory WCMS improved to 3-0 on the season, and won its ninth straight game, extending a streak that stretches back to last year.
WCMS scored on its first possession of the game, when quarterback Levi Bain connected on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Chastain to conclude a drive that included a 25-yard pass to Ethan Womack.
Chastain’s extra point was good, giving the Pioneers a 7-0 lead, but three fumbles and a turnover on downs stalled the rest of the team’s drives, and sent them into halftime holding a 7-0 lead.
After the intermission, WCMS drove 60 yards on its opening possession of the third quarter. A pass from Bain to Drew Green put the ball down at the Coffee County 12, and Dexter Hillis was stopped at the 2-yard line on a sweep. But Bain took matters into his own hands, going in for the score on a quarterback sneak, and Kyle Mullican connected with Justin Bouldin on a fake PAT attempt to give the Pioneers a 15-0 advantage.
The Pioneers found themselves knocking on the door again late in the game, thanks to a 40-yard Saul Simpson run. Hillis got the call, but lost the football in the end zone. Fortunately for the Pioneers, however, Shane Wilcher was there to fall on the ball for a WCMS touchdown. Chastain’s kick was a good one, and gave the Pioneers their final 22-point margin of victory.
Bouldin finished with 84 yards on 12 carries, running the ball at will for much of the night. Hillis had four carries for 15 yards, and Bain had 37 yards on four attempts.
Coach Jeff Watson credited the Pioneer offensive linemen for helping set the tone offensively.
“The offensive line played great again,” he said. “We tried some different things on offense early, and when they didn’t work, we went to the offensive line and said ‘We need you’. And they went out there and drove it right down the field.”
On the other side of the ball the Pioneers were even more dominant, holding their hosts to roughly 20 yards of offense and no first downs.
“The defense is swarming right now. That’s their second shutout in a row, and they held them to no first downs. My hat’s off to Coach (Jeff) Lee and what he’s done with them.”
The Pioneers were scheduled to face Ezell-Harding on the road last night, and return home Tuesday to play host to White County.