WCHS delivers quick knockout – Posts 35 in first half to rout Sparta
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Morgan Wilcher set the tone with a TD run on Warren County’s first drive, and found the end zone again late in the first half to cap his squad’s fourth win of the season, a 35-0 victory which was the Warriors’ third shutout loss of the fall.
The game, which saw a capacity crowd filled with more Pioneer supporters than Warrior faithful, also featured a long TD run from quarterback Kyle Mullican, a touchdown catch and an interception by Travis Young and a 62-yard punt return for another score by Chase Officer.
‘It’s nice to look up there and see we’ve got more fans than they have,’ said head coach Chris Madewell, whose team reached the 4-0 mark for the first time since 1980. ‘It’s just wonderful to see the support we’ve got from the community, and that gets these guys fired up on Friday nights.’
A long kickoff return from Taylor Holton began Warren County’s opening possession, an 11-play, 57-yard drive which ended when Wilcher bulldozed his way in from the 3-yard line. Tony Garibaldi added the first of his five extra point kicks, and the Pioneers quickly enjoyed a 7-0 lead.
‘We came out strong, and the line blocked really well. They did an excellent job for us,’ Madewell said. ‘That’s what we try to focus on offensively, is coming out and executing. That’s our goal, and hopefully as the season goes along, and the more reps we get, we’ll continue to get better with this offense and put together more crisp drives like that.’
White County punted the ball away on its first two offensive possessions, and although the Pioneers fumbled it right back on their second drive, they came through quickly on their third try, when Mullican scored from the 14 after Officer’s initial punt return for a TD was called back for an illegal block.
A bad snap on a Warrior punt late in the quarter gave the Pioneers the ball at the Sparta 17, and one play into the second period Mullican found a leaping Young, who hauled in his first career TD pass to give his team a three-touchdown lead.
Officer got another shot, and streaked 62 yards to the end zone after White County went three-and-out on its next drive, and Young ended the ensuing Warrior possession with an interception near midfield.
‘Travis did a good job going up and getting the ball,’ Madewell said of the TD catch. ‘With his height, he’s got an advantage over a lot of defensive backs. He used that height to get the interception later, too. He’s been a really big asset this year.
‘Chase did a great job on his returns for us,’ he added of Officer’s TD return. ‘His blockers set up a great wall, and he hit it and kicked in his speed. It was fun to watch.’
As the second quarter neared its end, the Pioneers put together what would prove to be their final scoring drive of the night.
Cody Deason got the team started when he pulled down a 24-yard pass from Mullican which was initially tipped by a Sparta defender, and a pass interference call against the Warriors moved WCHS to the 13, where three runs from Wilcher were all that were needed to cross the goal line and put the exclamation point on the 35-point Pioneer half.
The TSSAA’s new ‘mercy rule,’ which dictates the game clock will not stop if one team is up by 35 points at the half, came into effect following halftime, and resulted in a very quick final two periods.
The Pioneers ran just eight offensive plays after halftime, and the game’s final two quarters lasted a combined 30 minutes. White County found limited success throwing the ball with its spread offense, but the Pioneer defense held tough and preserved the shutout.
‘The defense came out and played real hard,’ Madewell said. ‘We’ve been preaching to them ‘no big plays, no mistakes,’ and they came out and overall did a great job.’
Wilcher led a 226-yard Pioneer ground attack with 43 yards on 13 carries, while Mullican added 40 on four runs and completed two passes for 37 yards. Ten different Pioneers carried the ball, while the defense held White County to just 59 offensive yards on the night, including 36 on 22 rushes.
Warren County will celebrate Homecoming this Friday, with a crucial Region 3-5A contest against Coffee County. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.