Caravan bound for Sparta:Pioneers take on White Co. tonight
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Warren County hopes to hand them another “down” tonight.
Heading into tonight’s game with the Pioneers, the Warriors are at 1-1, with a lopsided loss to Cookeville in their season opener followed by an equally lopsided victory last Friday over Walker Valley.
Fans planning to head down en masse to Sparta may fall in behind the Pioneers at Three Star Mall today at 4:30, or may join with the WCHS band, which is leaving from the mall at 5:30 p.m.
The Pioneers enter tonight’s game at 2-1 on the season, and a week removed from a gut-wrenching 20-13 overtime loss at Lincoln County.
As they did a week ago, the Pioneers will have to contend with a sizable foe when they face the Warriors tonight. White County comes to the line with several returning starters, including five seniors who weigh in at over 280 pounds each.
They’ll be attempting to clear the way for senior fullback Dell Lewis, who is no small fry himself, listing at 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds.
In the Warriors’ 35-6 loss at Cookeville in Week 1, Lewis had 65 of the Warriors’ 155 total offensive yards, including the team’s only touchdown. He ran roughshod over Walker Valley’s Mustangs last Friday night, racking up 115 yards on 10 carries and hauling in two passes for 94 more yards. Lewis scored twice in that win, once on the ground and once through the air, despite suffering a mild concussion in the Cookeville loss.
Other big offensive weapons for the Warriors include quarterback Kyle Hicks, who has thrown for touchdowns in each game so far this season, and junior wideout J.J. Taylor, the team’s Offensive MVP for the 2004 season. Taylor had a 38-yard scoring run against Walker Valley, and was on the receiving end of a 69-yard TD pass from Hicks.
Defensively, the Warriors returned 10 starters this year, and their experience has paid off. They allowed 253 yards to the Cavaliers in Week 1, and shut down Walker Valley in last week’s game, giving up just 203 yards, including a mere 51 in the second half.
Tonight’s Midstate Matchups
Tonight’s Middle Tennessee high school football schedule
(R) indicates a region game:
Antioch at Whites Creek
Austin-East at Karns
Blackman at Centennial
Bradley Central at Open
Brentwood at Open
Campbell County at Clinton
Chattanooga Central at Ooltewah
Clarksville at Clarksville NE
Cleveland at McMinn County
Collierville at Bolton
Columbia at Smyrna
Cookeville at Lebanon
Craigmont at Memphis East
Cumberland County at Open
Farragut at Bearden
Father Ryan at Franklin
Gallatin at Beech
Hendersonville at Dickson County
Heritage at Maryville
Hillwood at Hillsboro
Horn Lake, MS at Wooddale
Houston at Cordova
Hunters Lane at Maplewood
Independence at Open
Jackson Northside at Bartlett
Kirby at Open
LaVergne at Glencliff
Lincoln County at Riverdale
Memphis Central at Hamilton
Memphis Overton at Open
Millington at Southaven, MS
Morristown East at Jefferson County
Nashville Overton at Pearl-Cohn
Oak Ridge at Kingsport Dobyns Bennett
Oakland at Franklin County
Page at Ravenwood
Rhea County at Soddy-Daisy
Ridgeway at Rogers, AR
Sevier County at South-Doyle
Siegel at Mt. Juliet
South Panola, MS at Germantown
Stratford at McGavock
Tennessee High at Science Hill
Tullahoma at Coffee County
Warren County at White County
White Station at Raleigh-Egypt
Whitehaven at Trezevant
William Blount at Open
Wilson Central at Open