Junior Warriors defense smothers Rangers
Published 2:39 pm Friday, September 20, 2024
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Warriors' Coby Roark follows his blocks for a 16-yard pickup.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Unaka's Brayden Hardin and Corbin Jones bring down the Warriors' tailback short of the goal line.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Warriors' smothering defense made it difficult for the Junior Rangers all day.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Wide receiver Shanning Hendricks comes out of his stance quickly.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Happy Valley's Jeremiah Capps cuts against the grain for a first down.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Unaka's Brayden Stines finds space and makes a nice return off the kickoff.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel After the interception, Greyson Ensor looks for positive yardage.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Warriors' Mason Foister turns on the jets as he breaks the line of scrimmage.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Happy Valley Lady Warriors cheer squad provided halftime entertainment.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Javi Carrillo kicks the extra point through the uprights.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Warriors celebrate their dominant win over Unaka.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Unaka's Jacob Carrier finds a receiver in the flat for good yardage.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Warriors' offensive line creates a huge hole for Mason Foister, who scores a touchdown.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
The Unaka Junior Rangers came out strong, finding success through the air, but it didn’t take long for the Happy Valley Junior Warriors’ defense to respond.
The Junior Rangers connected on a few big passes, with Jacob Carrier completing throws to Kayden Pirtle and Jacob Shaffer, pushing the ball inside the Warriors’ 10-yard line. However, as Unaka looked for the end zone, Happy Valley’s Kaden Esterline intercepted a pass, shifting momentum. From that point forward, it was all Warriors, as they cruised to a 45-0 victory.
Mason Foister got the Warriors’ offense rolling with a 46-yard run, advancing the ball to the Unaka 46-yard line. Coby Roark followed up with another run, setting up first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. The first quarter ended scoreless, but Foister opened the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run, putting Happy Valley up 6-0. After a successful two-point conversion, the Warriors led 8-0.
Unaka started their next drive with solid field position thanks to a good kickoff return by Jacob Muldoon, but Esterline intercepted his second pass of the night, halting Unaka’s momentum. After a series of runs, including a 12-yard touchdown by Capps, Greyson Ensor’s quarterback sneak on the two-point conversion extended the Warriors’ lead to 16-0.
The Warriors’ defense continued to dominate, sacking Carrier for a 9-yard loss. On third-and-seven, Foister snagged an interception and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. After another two-point conversion, the Warriors were up 24-0. Unaka tried to rally, but Ensor added another interception, marking the Warriors’ fourth of the night. Foister then ran for a 17-yard touchdown, and with Gavin Starnberg’s two-point conversion, the Warriors took a commanding 32-0 lead at halftime.
The second half began with a spark for Happy Valley, as Shanning Hendricks returned the kickoff 61 yards for a touchdown. Javi Carrilo’s extra-point kick made it 39-0, initiating a continuous clock. The Warriors capped off the scoring with a 22-yard run by Roark, sealing the 45-0 win.
Postgame, Warriors head coach Kevin Kendall praised his team’s adjustments. “Unaka is a good, young team, and they had success early. We felt if we could apply pressure and make some adjustments, we would turn the game around, and we did as it progressed. We had some players dealing with injuries and illness last week against Cloudland, so it was good to get them back tonight,” Kendall said.
The Warriors will play Johnson County on the road next week, while Unaka has a bye week.
