JV team falls short vs. Cookeville – Steg scores late TD in 12-6 loss

The Pioneer football program got the chance to scout an upcoming region foe Monday night, when it played host to Cookeville for a junior varsity game at Nunley Stadium.

Cookeville got the better of its hosts in a 12-6 contest, with Warren County avoiding the shutout with a 2-yard TD plunge from quarterback Bradley Steg in the final minute of competition.

Warren County’s defense pinned Cookeville in the shadow of its own goalposts late in the first quarter, but were unable to convert on the scoring opportunity after turning the ball over on downs

Cookeville responded with its first scoring drive of the game, with Will Francis breaking off a long run which set up a 10-yard dash fro Colby Harmon. The conversion failed, and the Cavaliers took a 6-0 lead into halftime.

They made it 12-0 on their first play of the fourth quarter, courtesy of a short touchdown pass, but the Pioneers looked to answer that score on a 77-yard TD run by Michael Thrower on their very next play. WCHS was called for illegal procedure on the play, however, negating the score, and the drive ended when Thrower was intercepted six plays later.

A steady dose of runs by Mark Harvey and Carlzell Robinson moved the Pioneers downfield as time ran out in the fourth quarter, and Steg picked up a first down with a 10-yard scamper of his own before going in from the 2-yard line with 28 seconds left.

After missing the chance to recover an onside kick, the Pioneers got the ball back when a Cavalier receiver fumbled it away after hauling in a long pass. But a dropped snap on the very next play was recovered by the Cavs, and time ran out on any further thoughts of a Pioneer comeback.

The two rival schools will meet Thursday night in a freshman contest at Cookeville, and will close their regular seasons with a varsity matchup Nov. 2.

The Pioneer varsity’s next game is set for this Friday night, when they play host to Shelbyville at 7 p.m.