There won’t be the same feeling of dread when Smith County rolls into Warren County Friday night for a game against the Pioneers – at least not like the last time the Owls visited McMinnville.Instead of trying to improve playoff seeding like both teams hoped to be doing in October, Smith County and Warren County will be trying to salvage disappointing seasons. Smith County comes into Friday’s matchup at Nunley Stadium with a 2-4 record, while Warren County owns a 1-6 mark this year.While the jerseys will look the same, it won’t be the same Smith County squad that came into McMinnville two years ago with state-title aspirations and laid a 51-0 whipping on Warren County. The Owls may not even resemble the team that pounded the Pioneers 47-7 last year, though one Smith County player who had a huge impact in each of those wins remains.Senior Jalen Manning has been a perennial nightmare for the Pioneers since Warren County added the Owls to its schedule in 2011.
Pioneers looking for win over Owls