On October 4th, the Warriors faced the Southern Huntingdon Rockets and unfortunately couldn’t secure the win. The Warriors seemed to be having some changes in their playstyle with there being many passing receptions throughout the game. Owen Koleno was also on defense for the first time this season, with a good amount of tackles and a fumble recovery.
The Warriors started the game on defense and stopped the Rockets in their first drive. After an unsuccessful drive from the Warriors, the Rockets blocked the punt scoring a touchdown, making the score 0-8 with a successful two-point conversion. In response, Conner Danko connected with Justin Esposti for a successful pass during the Warriors’ drive. The first quarter concluded with the score standing at 0-8.
The Rockets’ first drive in the second quarter led them to score another touchdown making the score 0-14, with an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt. Under pressure, Danko completed a pass to Coby Kephart, resulting in a significant gain. Following that play, as Danko maneuvered to avoid the defense, he attempted to pass to Brayden Williamson, but a holding penalty on the Warriors set them back. Unfortunately, the drive concluded with a fumble by Danko.
During the Rockets’ next drive, a loose ball was recovered by Koleno, giving the Warriors possession at approximately the 35-yard line. A few plays later, Frankie Leskovansky made a remarkable 40-yard touchdown reception. Xavier Flack then successfully kicked the extra point, bringing the score to 7-14 with 4:39 remaining in the quarter. With the Rockets possessing the ball, the Warriors almost stopped the offense, but they scored their third touchdown, making the score 7-20 with an unsuccessful two-point conversion. With 13 seconds remaining in the first half, the Warriors gave up a safety making the score 7-22.
The Warriors started off the second half with passes to Williamson, Leskovansky, and Koleno. Then, Danko scrambled for a Warrior first down. The drive ended with the Rockets preventing the Warriors from gaining any more leverage. The next drive Hansen Lannen sacked the quarterback for a loss of 4 yards. A few drives later, the Warriors’ possession ended in a turnover, giving the Rockets favorable field position at about the 25-yard line. The Rockets ended up scoring making the score 7-28 with an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt.
The Warriors’ first drive of the 4th quarter started off with a pass intended to Leskovansky with a pass interference call, leading the Warriors to a 1st down and a gain of 15. With 9:10 on the clock, the Rockets’ running back weaved through the Warrior defense making the score 7-36, with a successful two-point conversion attempt. On the Warriors’ drive, Leskovansky and Williamson both had 8-yard receptions, but it didn’t lead the Warriors to gain any more yardage. With 1:30 left on the clock, Logan Liptak had about a 50-yard reception. The Warriors’ drive ended with a fumble with seconds left on the clock which led the Rockets to kneel the ball to end the game with a score of 7-36.
Brayden Williamson remarked, “We are a young team that is still trying to find our identity. Even though we have had some rough patches, there have been signs of improvement from week 1 to week 7, and hope to continue on building throughout the rest of the season.”
The Warriors’ next game is on October 11th against the Glendale Vikings at Glendale.
