Pioneers pounded: Chattanooga Central blanks WCHS 47-0
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But two plays over a span of less than 20 seconds swung momentum in the Purple Pounders’ favor, and a distinct size advantage up front helped the visiting squad keep that momentum until the final horn sounded on a 47-0 Pioneer loss.
Going three-and-out near midfield midway through the second quarter, Warren County’s punt attempt was blocked by Chattanooga’s Robert Woods, who scooped up the ball and ran 46 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
The Pioneers decided to go to the air after the ensuing kickoff, but sophomore quarterback Josh Paz’s screen attempt glanced off the hands of his intended receiver and into the grasp of the Pounders’ Lorenzo Meadows, who went in from 26 yards out to make it a 14-0 game.
“Through a quarter and a half it’s 0-0, and we’re feeling good about that and about how our defense was playing,” head coach Gerald Tidwell said after Friday’s game. “But our offense can’t stay on the field and keep the chains moving. If we do, it’s going to be a much closer ballgame.
“If we take away that interception for a touchdown and the blocked punt, maybe it’s 7-0 or maybe it’s even going into halftime.”
The Pioneers, who managed just 84 yards of total offense to the Pounders’ 427, found themselves on the short end of a mismatch in the trenches throughout the game. Chattanooga took advantage of their defensive front’s size and quickness, getting to Paz for five sacks and holding WCHS to an average of two yards per carry.
“They were good defensively,” Tidwell said. “We’ll have to go back and watch the videotape, but I was certain we got man-handled up front, and weren’t able to get an offense going.
“I don’t know what kind of reads we’re making on the option, but that’s something we’re going to hang our hat on forever, so it’s something we’re going to have to go over and over and over.”
When Paz, who was making his first varsity start, was able to get the ball away, his throws were often off the mark. The sophomore’s first four attempts were incomplete, with his fifth and final pass intercepted for a touchdown.
“We want to go to the air a little more, but when you run a three-step drop package and your quarterback gets sacked, that’s not a good sign for your passing game,” Tidwell noted. “That’s supposed to be a play-action deal where your quarterback gets rid of it before the rush gets there. So that’s certainly not a good sign.
“We’ve got to protect our quarterback, and I think he got a little antsy knowing the pressure was coming. The pressure shouldn’t have been there, but it was.”
A 51-yard run from CCHS quarterback Joe Despaux sent the visiting squad into halftime with a 21-0 lead, and the Pounders added 19 more points in the third quarter while holding WCHS to just 11 offensive plays on three possessions in the period.
Adam Medlock made it a 28-0 game with a 24-yard run early in the quarter, and Ryan Iarussi scored on runs of 4 and 9 yards, respectively, before the end of the period.
Tidwell said with his defense on the field for such a large amount of the game, fatigue became a factor during Friday’s second half.
“Playing so many kids both ways, when you’re out there that long and 3/4 of the time on defense, they’re going to wear down,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”
Chattanooga provided the game’s final margin of victory late in the fourth quarter, when Mike Davenport, who finished with 133 yards on 17 carries, went in from the 5-yard line.
Despaux led the Pounders’ rushing attack with 155 yards on just nine carries, while Medlock added 55 yards and Iarussi had 21.
The yardage the Pioneers were able to manage on the ground came from their fullbacks, as Ramsey Black finished with 38 yards and Jimmy Cunningham had 28.
With a week off before the team returns to action against White County, Tidwell said his Pioneer squad will continue to work on finding a way to produce out of their option offense, while building on the positives they saw early out of their defensive unit.
“The good thing for us tonight was midway through the second quarter it’s 0-0 against a pretty good football team,” he said. “That’s a step forward for our young ball club.”