So close, yet so far:Pioneers come up short
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Tullahoma, which improved to 4-1 with the victory, posted 13 points in the third quarter to erase a 10-7 Pioneer halftime lead, and stopped WCHS quarterback Josh Paz on fourth-and-3 as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
With the loss, the Pioneers’ fourth straight, their 2005 record ran to 2-5. Tullahoma bounced back from a loss a week ago, improving to 4-1. The Wildcats’ four victories this year are now by a combined margin of just nine points.
The Pioneers held Tullahoma to 3-and-out on the game’s opening series, and put points on the board on their own first drive, which stalled at the 22 and was backed up five yards on a false start before Tony Garibaldi booted a 44-yard field goal.
Carrying their 3-0 lead into the second quarter, Warren County forced another punt early in the second, and used a bit of trickery to move deep into Wildcat territory when Nick Cantrell took the ball on a reverse and fired a pass to a wide-open Josh Paz for 40 yards.
Two long Jevon Ramsey runs and a nine-yard plunge from Mikey Perkins brought the Pioneers down to the 2-yard line, and Todd Dunn — normally a fixture on the team’s defensive line — went in for the score as part of the team’s new “power” set.
Garibaldi’s extra point put WCHS up 10-0, but Tullahoma answered the TD late in the half, when Phillip Anderson returned a Pioneer punt 45 yards to the 2, and Edward Hammonds powered his way into the end zone.
Dylan Cross added the PAT, but missed a 34-yard field goal attempt as the half expired with Warren County clinging to a 10-7 lead.
Warren County went three-and-out on its next possession, and Tullahoma — relying heavily on draw plays from its shotgun formation, marched down to the 12-yard line on just six plays. A holding call backed them up to the 21, where quarterback Cass Barnes found Chance Askins for a touchdown pass, giving the Wildcats the lead at 13-10.
Tullahoma’s biggest blow to the Pioneers’ hopes of a victory came late in the third quarter, when Cross was set up to punt from his own 39. Bobbling the snap, Cross noticed open field ahead, and streaked 34 yards to convert the fourth down and set the Wildcats up at the WCHS 27, where they scored five plays later thanks to four straight runs from Ryan Bean, including a 4-yard TD.
The Pioneers rallied with a TD on their ensuing drive, which began with a 42-yard kickoff return from Jacob Bratcher and included an 18-yard pass from Paz to Ben Dunn. Paz called his own number for a 15-yard conversion to get down to the 1, then went in on a QB sneak for the score.
The defense held its ground, forcing a punt and giving the ball back to the Pioneers’ offensive unit near midfield, but on third-and-4 from the Wildcat 39, Paz’s intended pass for Ethan Womack was picked off by George Childress.
Using a time-out after each play to conserve the game’s precious final minutes, the Pioneers once again held Tullahoma in check. They took possession with 1:49 to play, and moved across midfield on a pair of Paz keepers, but on fourth-and-3, the Pioneer QB was stuffed by the interior defensive line, and the Wildcats were able to take over on downs and survive for the Homecoming victory.
Paz finished with a touchdown and 60 yards on 20 carries, as well as 25 passing yards and the 40-yard catch from Cantrell. Ramsey had 15 carries for 43 yards, while Ben Dunn was on the receiving end of both Paz completions.
Tullahoma, which amassed 159 of its 225 total yards via the run, was led by Hammonds and Bean, who had 45 yard each. Barnes completed 6-of-13 passes for 66 yards.
The Pioneers will play their fifth and final road game of the season this Friday, when they return to Region 3-5A action at Cumberland County.