The Warren County Middle School Pioneers lost to the currently undefeated Harris Middle Eagles Thursday. The eighth-grade night did not go as planned for WCMS as the Eagles’ quarterback ran for 332 yards and scored four touchdowns as Harris won 44-14.

The first quarter saw the Pioneers get close to a touchdown with Lex Winfree making a break for 34 yards However, a fumble would cause them to lose possession, foreshadowing a touch night for the young Pioneers.  The Harris QB immediately made the turnover costly as he raced 89 yards for a TD to start his big night.

He wasn''t just a rushing machine either. He to a punt back 75 yards for another touchdown in the first quarter, spotting his team a 16-0 lead. 

Dylan Aguilar started helping the Pioneers climb back late in the second quarter. He had a 29-yard connection with QB Kristopher Robledo, then followed with a 45-yard touchdown run.

Harris tried to seize momentum back with a lengthy drive, but Lex Winfree answered with a fourth-down sack to get his team the ball back. 

The Pioneers couldn't capitalize though, getting  sloppy with fumbles on back-to-back plays. Both were recovered by WCMS but they still couldn’t get a first down.

Back with the ball, Harris used a 21-yard throw and a 30-yard run to score and go up 22-8 with just over a minute until halftime. 

The Pioneers decided to make the most of the time left, assembling an impressive drive to score before the break. Robledo had a 17-yard rush for a first down before hitting Peyton Ray on a  22-yard throw and catch. Ray then ran for another 14 yards, setting up the team in the redzone. 

Aguilar had the final big play, catching an 18-yard pass right at the goal line and just crossing over before being knocked out of bounds.

The late drive kept the Pioneers in striking distance at 22-14 going into halftime, but Harris' signal caller became a bigger threat in the second half.

He had a 37-yard touchdown in the thrid quarter, a 45-yard TD scamper in the fourth and a final 25-yard score in the final minutes.

Warren County got big plays from its defense in spots in the second half, including Jay Patillo picking off a pass, Winfree dropping the Eagles for an 8-yard loss on another play and Justin Cole collecting a sack.

The dual-threat quarterback was too much to overcome, however.

The Pioneers are now 2-2 for the season, losing both their home games and winning both away games. 

The Pioneers take a week off next week and will travel to White County Thursday, Sept. 15.