The past two years have been rough for the Warrior football team, without a win for two seasons. Now under the leadership of new head coach Kenn Vandevander, who came in from Tyrone to lead the team, the Warriors finally snapped their losing streak, defeating Claysburg-Kimmel with a score of 34-13.
The Warriors got the ball to begin the game and marched down the field with an impressive 11-play drive that was capped off by a 16-yard passing touchdown to tight end Justin Esposti.
Throughout, the Warriors kept the game at their own pace with 18 first downs and a very steady run game led by senior quarterback Conner Danko. Danko led the team with 20 rushes for 151 yards and also found the end zone three times. Junior Julian Panabianco also helped keep the ball moving, adding another 15 carries for 68 yards and finding the end zone in the 4th quarter to cap off the Warriors’ amazing rushing night. The Warriors totaled an impressive 284 yards on the ground. After the game, Conner Danko stated, “The offensive line is the reason we had that success tonight. We ran the ball with ease, and they couldn’t stop it, which is the most demoralizing thing for a defense. This is a huge reason we had success tonight. All 28 of us have bought in and worked our tails off for months, and tonight it showed. Everyone played with trust, and when we do that, we’re hard to stop, which we showed tonight.”
The defense also played a big role in the Warriors’ win over Claysburg, only allowing 13 points in the game. They also helped their offense by creating three turnovers. Hansen Lannen recovered 2 fumbles, and Conner Danko recorded an interception. The Warriors also only allowed a total of 242 yards of offense to the Bulldogs, helping them control the game.
The Warriors returned many key starters for this season, including Senior QB/ Safety Conner Danko, Senior WR/DB Brayden Williamson, Senior OLB/TE Justin Esposti, Senior WR/ Safety Frankie Leskovansky, Senior LB/TE Hansen Lannen, Senior G/LB Jaykob Sample, and Senior RT/DE Max Gibson.
The Warriors head to Moshannon Valley for a grueling backyard matchup with their rival, the Black Knights, on Friday, September 18th. Kickoff is at 7 pm.
