Blanked by Blackman – Freshmen lose 2nd in a row
The Pioneer freshmen dropped their second straight game Thursday night, falling to 1-2 on the year after a 14-0 defensive struggle with the visiting Blackman Blaze.
Turnovers were the Achilles’ heel for the Pioneers, who gave the ball to their guests three times on lost fumbles and once on an interception. The Pioneers had to punt the ball away three times, and turned it over on downs on their other two possessions.
After a scoreless first half, which saw Warren County’s freshmen drive to inside the Blaze 10-yard line before a late incompletion on fourth down, the Pioneers committed a costly turnover on their first possession of the third quarter.
On third-and-11 from their own 19-yard line, the Pioneers put the ball on the ground, where Blackman’s Blake Davis recovered, giving his team excellent field position. Three running plays later, L.J. Joyce scored from 5 yards out, and Jason Puhr added the extra point to give Blackman the first score of the contest.
The Pioneers tried to answer with a mix of passes and Caleb Northcutt runs, but on second down from their own 38 Michael Thrower’s pass attempt to Tyler Glenn was picked off by Dre’ Kertchaval, ending Warren County’s possession.
Still down by just a touchdown, the Pioneers were forced to punt from deep in their own territory midway through the fourth quarter, and the short kick was returned to the 23, where Blackman needed just six plays before Jadon Scroggins found his way into the end zone from the 1-yard line. Puhr’s kick was on the mark once again, giving Blackman what would prove to be the final margin of victory.
A last-ditch effort at avoiding the shutout went for naught, as Warren County went to the air, completing a long pass from Thrower to Glenn and benefiting from a pass interference penalty before missing a shot into the end zone on fourth-and-7 on the game’s final play.
Thrower completed six of 20 pass attempts for 112 yards, including a 56-yarder to Glenn on the final drive. Northcutt carried the ball 15 times, amassing 47 yards, and Thrower kept the ball on the ground nine times for 27 yards.
The Pioneers are slated to play host to White County Monday night, and travel to Shelbyville on Thursday.