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By Ron Marvel

Star Correspondent

Good teams know that when you’re on the road in a hostile environment and you get punched, you have to counterpunch. The Warriors did that and more, gaining a foothold in their conference in the process.

Things started off rough for the Warriors after an early fumble gave the Royals the ball at the HV 30-yard line. However, the Warriors’ defense didn’t blink, forcing the Royals into a field goal attempt that missed.

Later in the quarter, the Warriors took an early lead on a Gabe McDougald 2-yard touchdown run with 2:33 left, going up 7-0. The Royals answered with a 64-yard touchdown run with 2:15 left in the first half, making the score 7-6 at halftime.

Neither team could get much going in the second half until the Royals ran off tackle for a 6-yard touchdown. But just when the Maryville home crowd started getting rowdy, Jamie Esterline broke loose for a 46-yard touchdown run, giving the Warriors a 14-13 lead.

Ron Paul Parker later added to the Warriors’ lead with a 64-yard touchdown run, cutting across the field. With a little over two minutes left in the third, the Warriors increased their lead to 20-13. They padded the lead further when McDougald hit Parker with an 18-yard touchdown pass, pushing the advantage to 27-13. The drive chewed up nearly seven minutes of the clock.

The Royals scored again with just 46 seconds left on a 40-yard touchdown pass, making it a one-possession game, but the Warriors held steadfast, closing out the game to preserve the win and improve to 3-0 (2-0 in the conference). Even more impressive, this victory marked the Warriors’ 10th straight regular-season win.

After the game, Coach Jason Jarrett reflected on the determination his team showed. “This bunch is just so gritty and scrappy. We don’t really have any superstars; we just play complimentary football. We were able to control time of possession tonight and overcome some early errors. Defensively, we played really well. That’s a team that forces you to cover the whole field, but we rose to the challenge,” Jarrett said. It was an especially strong effort considering Happy Valley was missing both starting inside linebackers.

Special teams also stood tall for Happy Valley, blocking two extra points and a punt during the game.

McDougald finished with 102 yards on 15 carries while throwing for 46 yards. Esterline added 76 yards on eight carries, and Parker chipped in 79 yards. The Warriors outgained the Royals 349-304.

Happy Valley returns home Friday to host Unaka, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.