Warren County is now going for history.

The Pioneers whipped the Lawrence County Wildcats on Friday night, 40-3, to become the first Warren County team in 13 years to go 4-0.

The Pioneers were 2-2 after four games last year. The two teams the Pioneers lost to in the first four games last year have been beaten this year 48-0 and 40-3. These were not just two wins, they were “mercy rule” wins. The mercy rule is a TSSAA rule that mandates the clock runs continuously when a team is up by 35 points or more.

Head coach David Marston from Lawrence County said, “They whipped us. They whipped us up front. They are better than they were last year.”  

Walt Smith, the offense coordinator for Lawrence County said, “We thought if we made them drive the ball, they would make mistakes. They didn’t. They are better coached than they were last year.”

Pioneer head coach Matt Turner said, “They got us last year with special teams. I don’t know if I secretly embedded that into their minds.”

Coach Turner was talking about the opening kickoff. Lawrence County opened with an onside kick. After Lawrence County recovered the opening onside kick, Warren County did not break. In one of the major stories of the night, the Pioneer defense did not buckle and forced a turnover on downs at the 15. Lawrence County would only get that close to the Warren County goal line once more. Later in the first quarter, Lawrence County advanced to the Warren County 11, and settled for a field goal, 7-3.

The Pioneer defense dominated, holding Lawrence County to 62 yards rushing and 92 yards passing. After the opening kickoff mishap, Warren County dominated in every phase.

Collectively, Warren County rushed for 276 yards.

C.J. Taylor may not have rushed for over 100 yards for the first time this season, but he moved the chains when it counted. And make no mistake, Lawrence County was keying on C.J., and when he handed off on the option or passed, the Pioneers advanced the ball.

C.J. rushed for 2 TDs -- one in the first quarter for a 3-yard score, and one TD in the third quarter for seven yards. Taylor found Chase Thompson for a 4-yard TD pass in the second quarter. 

Bryson Elrod ran the goal line offense under center taking C.J. Taylor’s place at quarterback late in second quarter. Elrod rushed in from the 5-yard line with :54 seconds left in the first half to put the Pioneers up 20-3.

Lawrence County received the second half kickoff and started on its own 24-yard line. After a short gain, Wildcat QB Alex Carr was intercepted by Clay Thompson, and Thompson was downed on Lawrence County’s 36-yard line. 

This was a big play for the Pioneers, who drove the ball for a score with some big gains by Ryland Holder and guess who, C.J. Taylor. This drive included a completion for 11 yards to Dante Elam, who moved the ball to the 9-yard line. 

Lawrence County then sacked C.J Taylor. In classic C.J Taylor style, C.J. ran the ball the next two plays and scored his second TD of the game and Pioneers took a commanding lead, 27-3.

The Pioneers had plenty of other firepower on offense to match their dominant defense. Ryland Holder scored on an impressive 18-yard TD run in the third quarter. Hunter Burch scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 6:01 left in the fourth. Burch’s touchdown made the score 40-3, and it enacted the mercy rule.

At this point, Madison Christian was put in the game. It is the sophomore’s first year of playing competitive football. When she entered the game, the players on the sidelines were chanting, “Madie, Madie, Madie!” 

“I loved getting in the game,” said Christian. “Go for your dreams, no matter what anybody says.” 

Coach Turner said, “She did not go into the game because she is a girl. She comes to practice every day. She pays her dues. She works hard on the scout team, and come Monday, she is going to be playing a lot with the JV team. She’s tough as nails.”

After the game, coach Turner said, “We came out in the second half to reset. We knew that they were getting the ball with the kickoff and we wanted to get a stop with the defense. Coach Bond commented at halftime that he thought they had a hard time getting back to the locker room. They had a lot of ice around them. We had been pretty physical with them. We challenged the defense to stand up and hammer it on in.”

Coach Turner was asked how it feels to be 4-0. He replied, “We are still 0-0. We have never beaten Blackman.” 

The Pioneers are on the road this Friday night at Blackman, which is 1-3 for the season.

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