On Thursday, the Warriors traveled to Claysburg-Kimmel to face the Bulldogs at their new stadium. The Warriors won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. After a lengthy drive, the Warriors came up short and turned the ball over on downs. In the first play for the Bulldogs, their quarterback had a forty-yard rush to put the ball into Warrior territory. After a handful of plays later, the Bulldogs quarterback threw a touchdown for the first points of the night. However, the Warriors put a drive together which finished with Azadio Vargas punching the ball in for a touchdown from two yards out. The first quarter ended with a score of 6-6.

The Bulldogs then bounced back and put a drive together themselves, resulting in a fifteen-yard rushing touchdown and an extra point to make the score 13-6 Claysburg-Kimmel. Then, the Bulldogs forced the Warriors to a three-and-out. However, before the WB could punt the ball away, lightning struck, and the game was delayed for about an hour and a half. After the delay, the Warriors punted the ball away. The Warriors then forced the Bulldogs to a three-and-out. West Branch started their next drive on the Bulldogs’ forty-yard line, and without wasting time, Tyler Biggans hit Frankie Leskovansky for a fourteen-yard touchdown reception. After Emma Bucha’s extra point, the score was tied 13-13. The Warriors forced another three-and-out and started their drive on their own thirty-six-yard line. With only thirty-nine seconds remaining in the first half, Tyler Biggans picked apart the Bulldogs’ defense and finished the quarter with a thirty-three yard pass to Nick Stavola. 

The Bulldogs received the second-half kickoff, with the score being 19-13 in favor of the Warriors. WB forced another three-and-out, however, the Bulldogs forced a turnover and started their next drive at midfield. The Bulldogs proceeded to drive down the field, score a touchdown, and convert their extra point, to make the score 20-19 Bulldogs. The third quarter was filled with defensive battles, as both teams forced each other to punt. 

The Warriors started with the ball in the fourth quarter and without wasting time, Tyler Biggans threw a fifty-yard bomb to Easton Emigh to move the ball into the red zone. However, the Bulldogs stopped the Warriors from scoring. With only nine minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs drove down the field while also eating away at the clock. Claysburg scored another touchdown and extra point, making the score 27-19 in their favor. With time still on the clock and the Warriors’ last chance to score, the Bulldogs forced another turnover to end the game. Senior running back and linebacker Azadio Vargas stated, “I think we just made simple mistakes that are fixable, we aren’t a bad team, we just make mistakes when it costs the most, and once the mistakes are fixed we’re easily a district championship contender.”