The WCMS football team kicked off its season Tuesday night against a talented Mt. Juliet team. The Pioneers used a rushing attack on offense and solid defense to shut down the Golden Bears and prevail, 24-8.
The Golden Bears didn’t score until a minute left on a five-yard run, in a game the Pioneers controlled from start to finish.
CJ Taylor, Xander Lee and Ryland Holder led the way on offense for the Pioneers as they all broke huge runs.
The entire defense of the Pioneers kept the Golden Bears at bay as it stopped the powerful rushing and passing attacks.
Both teams had promising drives to start the game but failed to get any points.
On the Golden Bears next drive, they saw a 60-yard run called back for offensive holding, which would’ve given them the lead.
The Pioneers took over after the Golden Bears drive stalled and the Pioneers were driving the field once again as they got down inside the Golden Bear redzone as time expired in the first quarter.
 As the second quarter started, a Pioneer fumble erased yet another promising drive as the score remained tied.
The Golden Bears were going for a punt inside their own territory when the Pioneers blocked the punt and it was recovered by Chase Gannon in the endzone for the first score of the game, 6-0.
The Pioneers tacked on two more points thanks to a successful two-point conversion try, giving them the eight-point lead, 8-0.
Both teams failed to score the rest of the half courtesy of stout defenses on both sides as the Pioneers held onto the lead.
A Ryland Holder 40-yard run extended the Pioneers lead early in the second half, 14-0. Another successful two-point conversion ran by Lee gave the Pioneers the comfortable double-digit advantage, 16-0.
The Pioneer defense continued to stand tall as it stopped the Golden Bears for another three-and-out as they led after three quarters with the shutout still intact.
Taylor broke loose for a 50-yard run with four minutes to play in the game to set the Pioneers up inside the Golden Bears 5-yard line.
A few plays later, Taylor finished the drive with a one-yard run up the middle and after the Pioneers succeeded on their third consecutive two-point conversion, they led 24-0.
The Golden Bears scored with about a minute to play a converted a two-point conversion but it was too late as the final whistle blew and the Pioneers improved to 1-0 on the season in impressive fashion, 24-8.
The Pioneers will be back in action this Tuesday as they play Franklin North.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.