WCMS opens ’04 with win
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The Pioneers erupted for 17 fourth-quarter points Tuesday night, and handed Franklin County North’s Gators a 23-6 loss in their 2004 season opener at Nunley Stadium.
“We had a lot of first-game jitters, but I knew we would, going in,” said new WCMS head coach Matt Turner. “We went up and watched (the Gators) last week, and they got their first game out of the way, but we were a little nervous.
“It’s like a new car. You’ve got to get the bugs out of it.”
The Pioneer offense got off to a slow start, fumbling the ball away on its first two possessions. But the third time was the charm for the young offense, as it marched 43 yards on five plays, eventually scoring on a 9-yard run from Morgan Wilcher just before halftime.
Wilcher finished with 114 yards on 19 carries, and H-back Jay Hutchings added 93 yards on five attempts, but Turner noted there were several offensive miscues that need to be corrected.
“We can fix this stuff in practice,” he said. “We should’ve been three scores up before the half, but mistakes hurt us — fumbles, not lining our formation up the right way, and other things.
“A lot of that was my fault, but I’m learning, too, and we’ll work these things out.”
Franklin County tied the game late in the third quarter, when quarterback Ben Moss connected with Alex Tucker for an 18-yard touchdown strike.
The Pioneers mounted a long drive in an attempt to answer that score, but fumbled away the ball in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter at the Gator 1-yard line.
The turnover so near the end zone was frustrating, but the WCMS defensive unit quickly ended those frustrations, as Wilcher and Casey Dunn broke through the line and slammed Moss to the turf for a safety on the Gators’ first play from scrimmage.
A Hutchings interception in the first half, as well as the safety, several more sacks and two fumble recoveries from Jesse Boyd, helped keep the Gators at bay throughout the contest.
“The defense stepped it up pretty big,” Turner said. “They made some plays, and made them when we had to have them.”
But the offense wasn’t quite finished, either.
Following the safety, which had given the Pioneers an 8-6 lead, WCMS took a free kick and began their drive at the Gator 24 thanks to a facemask call. A 14-yard Wilcher run and a 5-yard burst from Hutchings set the stage for Bryan Najera, who went up the middle from the 5-yard line for a touchdown.
Hutchings added a 2-point conversion run to give the Pioneers a 16-6 lead, then put the exclamation point on the victory with a 57-yard touchdown run on Warren County’s next possession. Scott Murphy added the PAT for the final margin of victory.
The 1-0 Pioneers face another Franklin County challenger Tuesday night, when they take on F.C. South at Nunley Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.