There was a playoff atmosphere at Nunley Stadium on Friday night as Warren County battled No. 1-ranked Oakland for the region championship. 

It was Senior Night and Squad 52 was playing for the right to host a playoff game. Warren County played with heart and tenacity, but came up short on the scoreboard, 36-20. The game was closer than the final score might indicate.

The Pioneers were down by just a touchdown at the half, 21-14, and opened the third quarter by driving to the Oakland 16 before eventually throwing an interception.

Warren County was still trailing by that same score to start the fourth quarter when a fumble on first down gave the Patriots a short field and led to a touchdown.

“It would have been very simple to lay down tonight with the No. 1 team coming into Warren County,” said Pioneer coach Matt Turner. “These guys came out ready to play. We were there tonight. I am sure next week will be another barn-burner. Tonight these kids gave it everything they had. It has been a great season. Now it is on to the postseason.”

The loss means Warren County (8-2) has to travel to Mt. Juliet (6-3) this Friday night for a first-round playoff matchup.

If Warren County and Oakland should both win their first-round games, they would meet again in the second round of the playoffs Nov. 13.

Warren County played a spirited game, but couldn’t overcome two interceptions and a fumble. Oakland had one turnover, but it was an interception on a Hail Mary pass as time expired in the first half.

Said Pioneer center Dirty Doug Wells, “I feel good. We just ran with the No. 1 team in the state. That was probably the best game the offensive line has played all year.”

The game started with Oakland receiving the opening kickoff and starting on its own 17-yard line. Without throwing a pass, the Patriots showcased two running backs, No. 2 Jordan James and No. 3, Antonio Patterson. 

Oakland drove with championship-caliber execution on a 83-yard touchdown drive. Oakland’s quarterback, No. 8 Ian Schlacter, ran in from the 1-yard line for the TD. The Patriots Mr. Football kicking candidate, No. 12 Trey Turk, kicked the extra point to give Oakland a 7-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Turk kicked the ball into the end zone. Warren County started on its 20-yard line. The Pioneers drove the ball to Oakland’s 36-yard line, and the Patriots gained possession on the first of two C.J. Taylor interceptions. 

Oakland drove from its own 20-yard line and scored its second touchdown and PAT to go up 14-0 in the second quarter.

Isaak Beasley returned the Oakland kickoff for the Pioneers past midfield. Warren County started with good field position on its own 48-yard line. Ryland Holder, Braylon Grayson, and C.J. Taylor rushed the ball downfield on the drive. Ryland Holder ended the quick drive by scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run. Stephen Curtis kicked the extra point and the Pioneers trailed 14-7.

The Pioneers appeared to be holding the Patriots and heading into halftime trailing 14-7. With under two minutes to go in the second quarter, Oakland head coach Kevin Creasy called a reverse pass play that caught the Pioneers off guard. Oakland scored on a 35-yard trick play to go up 21-7.

There was only 1:25 left in the first half. Warren County started a drive on its own 20-yard line. The big play on the drive was Braylon Grayson’s 29-yard run to put the Pioneers on Oakland’s 40-yard line with 47:7 seconds on the clock. 

Warren County ran six plays in less than 47 seconds, scoring on Kason Holder’s four-yard touchdown run with 2.9 left. The play came on fourth down and showcased Holder’s determination as he dove for the pylon and just got the ball in for the score.

Curtis kicked the PAT and Warren County trailed 21-14 at the half.

The third quarter was scoreless. This was when it became evident Warren County was going toe-to-toe with the No. 1-ranked Patriots. 

The fourth quarter started with Warren County driving from its own 30-yard line. The Pioneers fumbled and Oakland took over on Warren County’s 28-yard line. Four plays later, Oakland scored and took a 28-14 lead.

Showing the spirit the Pioneers have shown all season, they quickly responded. Kason Holder returned the kickoff to the 44-yard line. Kason’s brother Ryland Holder ran for three yards, and the ball was on the Warren County 47-yard line. 

Next was classic C.J. Taylor. Looking like he was shot out of a cannon, C.J. ran 53 yards up the middle for a touchdown. The PAT failed, 28-20.

Nine minutes were left, and the Pioneers were in the hunt for the region championship. This was a ballgame! No one doubted that Warren County was playing like a Warren County team had not played in 40 years. 

Unfortunately, the Pioneers simply could not catch up to the Patriots.

The Patriots scored once more in the fourth quarter and converted a 2-point conversion after an offsides penalty against Warren County moved the ball closer to the goal line. Oakland led 36-20 with five minutes to play.

Warren County took the kickoff and drove to the Oakland 32-yard line and turned the ball over on downs. Oakland drove the ball to the Warren County 25-yard line, and ended the game by taking a knee. 

The game ended with both teams respecting each other. Several Oakland players came back out on the field after the Oakland team was in the locker room to speak to C.J. and have their pictures made with him.

After the game, Oakland head coach Kevin Creasy said, “You come into this game and the winner is the region champs….I think everybody saw the electricity in the stadium tonight. COVID restrictions kept people away, but it was a playoff-type atmosphere. I give credit to the coaches and fans of Warren County for having their stadium ready for a playoff-type environment. You could see that fans appreciated the seniors on Senior Night, and they wanted to come out and give us their best shot. I think it was a heck of a ball game. C.J. is the best player we have seen this year, but at the same time, he has a great supporting cast. Teams win ball games, and our team did a good job of rallying together and winning.”

Head coach Matt Turner and the Pioneers are not looking for moral victories. However, anyone who saw this game will remember that Warren County competed with the best of the best at the end of the regular season. 

Now the Pioneers turn their attention to the playoffs and Mt. Juliet. Coach Turner told his team after the game that the road in the playoffs takes them right back to Oakland, should they be able to win in the first round.

Coach Turner said after the game, “We have to take care of things next week and so does Oakland. The path to the state championship runs through Oakland. I feel as though we match up better with Oakland. The team’s performance tonight was awesome. They rebounded from last week. I felt good this week in practice. These guys were loose. We have to keep working and hammer it out next week.”

Playoff tickets will be on sale at gofan.com on Monday for family members of players. On Tuesday, tickets will go on sale to the general public.

Follow the Southern Standard Newspaper on Facebook and @sstandardnews on Twitter for updates on tickets and playoff details. You can reach sports via email at sports@southernstandard.com.