There were two different styles on display when the Warren County Middle School football team faced Shelbyville Harris on Tuesday night.
Harris wanted to get the ball to the perimeter with its stable of speedy backs. The Pioneers opted to pound the ball between the tackles with bruising fullback Shawn Woodlee.
In the end, power triumphed over grace as WCMS plowed over Shelbyville, 28-18, at Nunley Stadium.
The win snaps a two-game losing streak for the Pioneers and evens the team’s record at 2-2. Harris falls to 1-3.
Woodlee rushed for over 100 yards and two TDs while carrying Shelbyville tacklers on his back and dragging others behind. Quarterback Trayton Rackley piled up 75 yards rushing and the game-clinching TD, while Isaiah Grayson broke off several impressive runs and added a 2-yard score.
“When we’re coming off the block the way we’re capable of doing, it’s hard to stop everything,” said WCMS coach Donnie Harris. “They were determined to take away the edge so we decided to run it up the middle. Noah Campbell and Isaiah Grayson will usually be our top rushers, but they didn’t want us to have that. If that’s what they’re doing, we’ll run Shawn up the middle.”
It took more than offensive execution to get the win. The Pioneer defense also had to stop electrifying Shelbyville tailback Camari Cannon, who is a walking “Sports Center” highlight. Cannon showed breakaway speed and the ability to make seemingly every player on defense miss on his way to the endzone.
Cannon finished with two TDs and about five jaw-dropping runs.
“As the old saying goes, you’re not going to stop him. You only hope to contain him,” said coach Harris about Cannon. “He was our No. 1 priority.”
WCMS never trailed and finished the game without a turnover. Shelbyville turned it over twice on a pair of fumbles.
WCMS took the lead on its first possession as the Pioneers marched methodically downfield during an eight-play drive. The biggest play came on a fourth-and-2 from the 7 when Woodlee not only picked up the first down, but barreled across the goal line.
Kicker James Jackson, who was 4-for-4 on extra points, converted his first kick of the game to put the Pioneers up 7-0.
Shelbyville battled back and converted its own fourth down deep in Pioneer territory to score a TD. Harris tailback Avery Brown scored on a fourth-and-18 play from the 20 to make it 7-6. The 2-point conversion failed.
Both offenses would stall until just before the half. Campbell gave the Pioneers field position deep in Shelbyville territory when he returned a punt 20 yards to the Harris 27. Grayson would utilize the short field and score on a 2-yard dive from the quarterback position. The extra point made it 14-6.
Even though only :07 remained before halftime, that was enough for Cannon. On Shelbyville’s first play from scrimmage, he took a pitch for an apparent sweep left. But the play was designed for Cannon to stop and reverse his field where a wall of blockers were waiting down the right sideline.
Cannon followed the blockers and used a burst of speed to race into the endzone as the halftime horn was sounding. Another failed 2-point conversion left the score 14-12 at the half.
Warren County caught a break in the third quarter after being forced to punt on its opening possession. The punt hit the ground and was bouncing toward the punt returner when he made an ill-advised attempt to field it. The ball glanced off his hands and Peppi Miller was there to recover it for the Pioneers. In addition to the fumble recovery, Miller played a stout game defensively, making several open-field tackles.
With starting field position at the Shelbyville 45 after the bobbled punt, it was Woodlee time. He set up his own 1-yard TD with a 20-yard power run as the Pioneers extended their lead to 21-12.
It looked like the Pioneers had the game on ice when Shelbyville fumbled on its next possession and Grayson was there to recover. It looked even worse for Harris when WCMS drove down to the 1-yard line.
However, the Pioneers lost big yardage on back-to-back plays and then missed a 30-yard FG attempt to come away empty handed.
Conner kept it interesting when he put Shelbyville on his back on the next drive. He covered the 80 yards himself on three carries, including a 40-yard TD where he proved too slippery to tackle. Shelbyville again went for a 2-point conversion and failed for a third time, leaving the score 21-18 with 4:18 left.
Instead of buckling under pressure, WCMS applied the finisher when Rackley bounced an inside run to the outside and rambled down the sideline for a 45-yard TD. That accounted for the 28-18 final score.
WCMS stays at home for its second and final home game of the season this Tuesday night against Tullahoma. Because of a scheduling quirk, the Pioneers only play two games at home this year.