At the end of every practice last week, Matt Turner reminded his team of one simple fact – beating DeKalb County was going to take an all-out effort for four quarters. The Pioneers made their coach a prophet Friday, needing nearly all 48 minutes of a fierce border battle to tame the Tigers.
Alex van Vuuren, who had a breakout game to start his senior year, gave Warren County the lead for good on a 4-yard run with 2:56 to play to cap a thrilling 34-27 victory in the season opener. Van Vuuren was incredible for the Pioneers, finishing with 200 yards in the air and one score and added 75 yards and two TDs on the ground.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” said coach Turner. “They overcame a lot of adversity to win it. They never quit. We got down early and they kept fighting. We had guys cramping up all night and another kid would step up until the starters got back in. It was just a total team effort and they laid it on the line until the final second was off the scoreboard.”
Sophomore Isaiah Robledo was also a breakout star, totaling 166 all-purpose yards and two scores to spark the offense. Robledo’s two rushing touchdowns came in the second quarter, when Warren County chipped away at an early 14-0 deficit and started a roaring comeback.
It was wrapped up in the final minute when senior Aiden Miller busted through the line on a fourth down and slung Tiger QB Briz Trapp to the ground for the last stop. Miller’s big play gave the Pioneers the ball back with 1:31 left and they used the victory formation four straight times to ice the game and end DeKalb County’s two-year winning streak in the border battle.
For most of the first quarter, it felt like the Tigers would make it three in a row. Malachi Trapp started the scoring with a 46-yard TD run in the first quarter, going untouched down the left sideline on a third-down run just four minutes into the action.
Briz made it 14-0 with 1:35 left in the first, capping a three-play, 60-yard drive that took just 74 seconds and was highlighted by a 39-yard run by Malachi Trapp.
Down two scores, the Pioneers had to find a spark. Van Vuuren and Robledo were ready to provide it. On the team’s third possession – started on the DeKalb County 39 after a short punt by the Tigers – van Vuuren got his team into the red zone with a 21-yard scramble. After a pass interference penalty in the endzone – one of 15 flags thrown on the Tigers – Robledo went in from nine yards out to make it 13-7.
Warren County forced a quick 3-and-out and had the perfect play design when it got the ball back. New offensive coordinator Josh Harris called for an inside counter and Robledo hit the hole full speed, breaking into the open as the Tigers were nowhere in the middle. The sophomore was able to race 64 yards to paydirt, though the Pioneers botched the extra point to still trail 14-13.
An exciting final two minutes of the first half followed. DeKalb County added back to its lead when Trapp found Trace Hamilton all alone for a 22-yard score, making it 21-13. Warren County responded with a perfectly executed two-minute drill, led by van Vuuren’s arm.
The senior hit Adrian Harris for 33 yards after a 25-yard kick return by Robledo set the Pioneers up at their own 39, then connected with his cousin Talan Mullican for 11 more yards. With time dwindling, van Vuuren found a mismatch in the endzone, giving big tight end Kal Latina a jump ball that the Arizona transfer brought down for a four-yard score to make it 21-20 going into the locker rooms.
“That drive really was huge for our team and gave us a lot of confidence and momentum going into the locker room. Alex looked poised operating in the hurry-up and guys were making plays – Adrian got loose down the middle, Talan goes into traffic to make a grab and then Kal, who we're really excited to have, made a big-boy play in the endzone,” said Turner.
Warren County took its first lead late in the third quarter, again with van Vuuren making huge throws. He connected for a 39-yard pass to Robledo on a crossing route, getting the Pioneers into DeKalb County territory. The senior signal caller looked to have his team even closer to a score on a 20-yard scramble the next play, but it was wiped out by two personal fouls (one on a blind-side block and the second due to arguing after the play) on the Pioneers.
It didn’t matter to van Vuuren. He was calm and collected as the sticks moved back toward midfield and guided a perfect pass deep over the middle to Latina, one the junior caught and ran all the way down to the DeKalb County 4. One play later, van Vuuren called his own number and got inside the pylon with a stretch at the endzone to make it 26-21 in favor of the Pioneers.
DeKalb County wouldn’t quit though. Briz Trapp guided the Tigers on a 13-play drive, one that spanned the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, to regain the lead. The shifty QB, who finished with 58 yards rushing, put the Tigers back in front 27-26 on a four-yard score with 8:49 left.
Both teams botched crucial possessions after the score, with each short drive resulting in the Pioneers finally getting the ball back at their own 27 with 7:49 left. Van Vuuren went on a personal mission to get the lead back for good.
He did a lot of his late work with his legs, though a 21-yard strike to Robledo, a perfectly thrown ball down the left sideline, helped the cause too. Robledo tight-roped the sidelines on the play, making a huge catch to pick up a 3rd-and-8 conversion and set the Pioneers up in the redzone.
Once the Pioneers were inside the 10, van Vuuren called his own number two straight times and ultimately got the game winner on a four-yard run where he powered over the left side for a score.
“I told the line ‘it’s my turn to get the touchdown’ and they blocked their butt off. I couldn’t be more proud of my guys” said van Vuuren. “(At the end), I was thinking make the play. Every practice, our only focus is make the play at the right time and good things will happen.”
PJ Truax helped add to the lead on the 2-point conversion, making a diving catch as the Pioneers picked up crucial extra points in the final minutes.
Miller made sure they stood up. He played a zone read by the Tigers perfectly on 4th-and-1, hedging down the line and pouncing once Briz tried a keeper to keep the Tigers’ chances of winning alive in the final two minutes. A packed house at Nunley Stadium went nuts when Miller made the stop, knowing this year’s season wouldn’t start with heartbreak like in 2022.
“I think it’s fitting we sealed the victory with a kid just making a sound play. He’s drilled that over and over and we’ve preached so much about doing the little things because we found out last year just how much those matter in the final moments of close games. We got the job done this time,” said Turner.
Warren County will be looking for more revenge next week when it hosts White County. The Warriors were one of three teams (including DeKalb County) to beat the Pioneers on last-minute, two-point conversions last year. This year’s game at Nunley Stadium will kick off at 7 p.m. this Friday.
