Stepping out of district play usually brings a sigh for relief for the Warren County High School football team. This week won’t bring much relaxation though as the Pioneers travel to face one of the top 1A schools in the state.
Fayetteville (5-2) enters Friday’s competition ranked No. 10 in the latest state AP poll. Coach Tom Moore, who is hoping to see his team snap a five-game losing streak, knows the challenge the Tigers will present.
“Fayetteville is a well-coached team that has some speed,” said Moore. “They’re coming off a great season and are in the midst of another good year.”
Entering the school’s fifth year of football, coach Alvin Palmer has Fayetteville rolling. The Tigers finished 8-2 in each of the previous two seasons, earning playoff bids both years. This year’s team has had some stumbles, including a 36-24 loss last week to Cornersville.
“We’ve been up and down this year. We’d love to be 7-0, but that’s not the case. We’ve dropped a couple region games,” said Palmer.
Bouncing back is the priority for both teams. Warren County is coming off its worst loss in 14 years. Last week’s 62-0 loss to Blackman was the largest margin of defeat since the Pioneers fell 70-7 in Lincoln County in 2003.
Friday’s game will be in the same county, though the upstart Fayetteville team has only been playing in TSSAA since 2013. Jumping from the smallest level of competition to the largest isn’t something that seems to phase coach Palmer.
“6A, 1A – that doesn’t matter to me. We both can only put 11 on the field at the same time,” said Palmer. “My only hope is our young men perform well.”
The Tigers will be led offensively by quarterback Lex Marsh, who Palmer praised as “an outstanding leader.” The do-it-all senior had over 200 yards passing and 50 yards rushing in last week’s loss. For the year, Marsh has connected on 55.8 percent of his passes for 869 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 236 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Fayette-ville counts on sophomore Jaden Hadley to erase plays. Hadley has 61 tackles already, while Marsh – a two-way starter – has 44 tackles.
Warren County will have some reinforcements this week for its trip to Fayetteville. Jay Rozier is expected to be back in the lineup after being absent against the Blaze.
Coach Moore believes Rozier’s return is a great thing for Pioneers.
“Jay has a chance to a be a dynamic player,” said Moore. “He’s worked very hard in the offseason and he’s maturing. He’s getting bigger, stronger and faster. He’s important for us.”
While Rozier will be back, coach Moore expects to be without offensive linemen Kaden and Devin Jordan. Having the aches and pains of seven straight games could wear on the Pioneers, as could a lopsided loss, but coach Moore believes his team has bounced back nicely.
“We have had a good week of practice and we’ve always been focused on having the next guy ready,” said Moore.
“We’re looking to come out Friday and not be one dimensional. When we’ve had success this year offensively, it’s been because we had good balance and limited turnovers,” Moore added.
Friday’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m.