Turnovers prove costly for Warren County
Putting the ball on the ground helped Livingston Academy put points on the board in their win over the Pioneers Saturday night.
Four fumbles, three which were recovered by the Wildcats, helped the visiting squad from Overton County as they marched to victory — beginning on the Pioneers’ first play from scrimmage.
On Warren County’s first possession of the game, the Pioneers were called for a false start, setting up first-and-15 from their own 47-yard line. But a pitch to tailback Jimmy Cunningham was dropped, then recovered by Livingston’s Jamey Vaughn, who sprinted 54 yards for the game’s opening score. “Turnovers are a killer,” head coach Gerald Tidwell said after the game, “and when that happened (the first turnover) and Livingston returned it for the touchdown, everybody in the stadium and on the field was like, ‘here we go again.’
“The wind was taken right out of our sails, and we have to learn to overcome things like that.”
While the defense provided the Wildcats with their first points of the night, Livingston’s offense continued to benefit from takeaways throughout the contest, as two more WCHS turnovers gave LA favorable field position which led to touchdowns.
Jevon Ramsey lost the ball midway through the second quarter, with Livingston’s Whitney Coleman smothering the loose pigskin at the Pioneer 17-yard line. Coleman was rewarded for his efforts four plays later, when he plunged into the end zone from the 1.
The Pioneers’ final turnover of the night, a fumble from Mikey Perkins, was recovered by the Wildcats’ Phillip Murphy at the Warren County 25, and once again Livingston needed just four plays to score, posting their final points of the night on a 20-yard pass from Wilson Cates to Wesley Puckett.