Junior Highlanders grind out win over Warriors
Published 9:54 am Monday, September 16, 2024
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Led by Landon Street, John Wilson picks up good yardage on a first-down play.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Highlanders' Jace Townsend goes down with the reception in the closing minutes of the first half.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Head Warriors coach Kevin Kendall ponders the call on third and six in the third quarter.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Warriors player looks downfield for positive yardage.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Warriors Javi Carillo looks to pave the way on the kickoff return for Gavin Stransberg.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Head Highlanders coach Conner Birchfield wants an explanation on an offside call.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Highlanders' Jordan Hodges looks to the sideline for the call.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The defensive front of the Warriors comes to the line during the final minutes of the game.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Warriors QB Greyson Ensor tries to convert the 2-point conversion on a pass play.
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
The Junior Highlanders were able to pick up a win this week over a solid Warriors team by a final of 24-6. John Wilson and Landon Street provided a decisive 1-2 punch as Cloudland picked up chunks of yards on the ground.
Street started the scoring by sprinting off left tackle for a 22-yard touchdown and then followed that up with Wilson running up the gut for the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead at the 2:26 mark of the first quarter. Things got worse for the Warriors as a skipping kickoff bounced off the chest of a Warriors player, and Shanning Hendricks pounced on the loose ball to give them possession at the Warriors’ 41. The Highlanders continued to find success running over the left side with runs of 6, 8, and 11 before Wilson bounced off a couple of tacklers for an 18-yard touchdown and a 16-0 lead with the two-point conversion. The Warriors answered with a drive of their own as Javi Carillo picked up a bouncing kickoff and found a seam up the sideline to set up the Warriors at the Cloudland 21-yard line. With just seconds left in the first quarter, Mason Foister found open space on the left side to score 16-6.
Cloudland looked to answer before the half, going on a long drive that chewed up over 6 minutes and featured a nice 14-yard reception by Jace Townsend, but their drive stalled at the Warriors’ 12-yard line. The Warriors took over with 1:32 left in the half but could not get anything going, sending the Warriors into the break down by ten.
In the third quarter, both teams traded possessions. John Wilson broke off a 19-yard run to set Cloudland up deep in Warriors’ territory, but Happy Valley forced a turnover and took over the ball at the 24-yard line. Happy Valley got the ball out to midfield, but after a Greyson Ensor to Kaden Esterline pass just missed, Cloudland got the ball back to take over at their 46-yard line with 5:57 left in the final quarter. Looking to drain the clock, the Highlanders moved the ball to the Warriors’ 36-yard line when Landon Street broke off a 33-yard TD run and then converted on a jump pass to Finley Trivett to make the score 24-6. Cloudland’s defense forced the Warriors to turn over the ball on downs and then drained off the final 2:49 to preserve the win.
Defensively for the Warriors, Colby Roark, Chris Wilson, and Issac Scott had strong performances, while the same could be said for Mason Johnson. Jaxson Ellis shined for the Highlanders. Postgame, Junior Highlanders Coach Conner Birchfield talked about his team’s tenacity in the win. “We knew they were tough and big upfront when we tripped ourselves up a couple of times there with the penalties and turnover when we got deep in their territory, but we ran the ball well and handled adversity well. Our line did a great job blocking tonight,” Birchfield shared.
