Short-handed Eagles lose to Wilson Prep 42-14
Sep. 6—WARRENTON — Despite setting up shop in the red zone six times over the course of the game, Warren County's offense generated a scoring play on just one of those opportunities on the way to a 42-14 loss to visiting Wilson Prep.
The Eagles took an 8-7 lead midway through the first quarter when Shiloh Morton capitalized on a big hole to run it in from 9 yards out, and followed up with a run to get the 2-point conversion.
In the second quarter, quarterback Najah Williams and receiver Ty Rodwell hooked up on a 58-yard touchdown strike down the right sideline that put the Eagles back in the lead at 15-14.
But though the Eagles were able to threaten again in the second half, they weren't able to cash in. Aside from Morton's touchdown run, their red-zone chances included giving the ball back to Wilson Prep via a fumble and a quartet of fourth-down misfires.
"We've got to figure it out on the offensive end," head coach V.J. Hunt said after the game. "Scoring 14 points is just not good enough. We moved the ball a little bit better, but we got to hold on to the football. We put it on the ground too many times. Turnovers will kill you. The defense did a great job putting us in great field position. We've got to find a way to punch it in."
To be fair, there's a fair bit of overlap between the offense and the defense because Warren County, like most teams in the area fielding a small squad, relies on most of its roster to play both sides of the ball. The Eagles were also particularly short-handed on Friday night, with safety Dennis Williams and runners Noah Dortch and Joel Bryant all sidelined by injury.
The team was additionally without Demontay Hawkins and Tre'shon Harris, who were serving one-game suspensions for their part in a fight the week before against J.F. Webb.
Dortch's absence, due to a neck sprain suffered against Webb, was an obvious blow to the Warren County cause as his power-running ways would've been helpful against the Tigers, who were playing just their second game as a program
Wilson Prep is a charter school. It's been fielding sports teams since at least 2017-18, but only added football a few months ago, in time for the 2022 season. Head coach Phil Dickens Sr.'s squad won its opener 33-8 over East Columbus and is now 2-0 on the year.
The Tigers took the early lead on a one-play, 54-yard drive that saw junior Cameron Williams take the handoff and go to the house.
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They got the lead for good in the second quarter when freshman Jamarius Howard picked up his own fumble and ran 21 yards for a touchdown.
Dickens used a full-house backfield and a rotation at quarterback to keep the Warren County defense a bit off balance, particularly in the second half as both sides experienced trouble with players cramping up.
"They're a good football team," Hunt said of the newcomers. "They've got some explosive kids. They're good at what they do. They run the football, they play good defense and they play downhill. They don't do anything fancy, it's old-school football."
Without Dortch and Bryant to call on, and with Morton also falling prey to the injury bug during Friday's game, the Eagles had to rely heavily on freshman Deuce Hosch, who got most of the snaps at running back. He was effective running between the tackles, consistently gaining ground in chunks of 3 to 6 yards.
Hunt also turned to junior Samurion West at running back on some plays. "To ask [Williams] to carry the load for us is unfair," he said. "Samurion has been playing defensive end; he had to step in and play running back for us. We're trying to piece it together until we can get our guys back."
The offense also featured a fair number of Williams pass plays, with sophomore Javeon Fields serving as his favorite target. The results were mixed.
Warren County is now 1-2 on the season, and 0-1 in conference play. Its next game is Friday at home against Northwest Halifax, which is also 1-2 and 0-1 on the season and is coming off a 55-0 loss to Southeast Halifax.
The Eagles and the Vikings played in Littleton last season, with Hunt's squad coming away with a 44-36 victory.
Contact Ray Gronberg at rgronberg@hendersondispatch.com or by phone at 252-436-2850.
Contact Ray Gronberg at rgronberg@hendersondispatch.com or by phone at 252-436-2850.
