Patriots Outlast Dragons in Shoot Out

   Over 1,000 offensive yards, a combined 47 first downs, and 21 penalties highlighted the gridiron shootout between the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots and the Warren Central Dragons. When the dust settled---figurative speaking as Central’s field is artificial turf---the Patriots escaped Dragon Stadium with a 47-38 win and a 1-0 record in district play

   “Like I’ve been telling the boys for the last five weeks, when you play a tough schedule, when you have some injuries, and some things go against you, the hardest thing in the world is to get win number one,” AC-S coach Brad Hood said. “They fought. It wasn’t always pretty. We gave up way to many yards, we had an interception, and we had two onside kicks we didn’t recover. We had to keep fighting to get the win but that kind of win is something we needed and something that they worked and worked and worked to get. I believe that will carry a lot of weight in the next couple of weeks. We have been battle-tested.”

   The statisticians needed extra pencils, paper, and walking shoes to keep up with the torrid pace put forth by the teams Friday night. Warren Central---looking to snap a 39-game losing streak---employs a simple gun-slinging mentality. Led by the speedy, athletic, and elusive senior quarterback Dandre Boyd, the Dragons’ game plan was simple---outscore the Patriots by attacking, attacking, and attacking. The stats were evident of that.

   Central finished the game with 615 total yards. The Dragons passed for 460 yards, ran for 155 yards, recorded 27 first downs, onside kicked on each kickoff, and never punted. Even when the Patriot defense forced Central into fourth down situations on their own end of the field, Central went for the first down. A hidden stat that proved to be big was the fact that the Patriot defense stopped Central six times on fourth down---with several coming as Central held the ball on their own side of the field.  

   Boyd passed for 456 yards, completing 28 of his 37 attempts. The senior---a basketball player who is playing football for the first time since his eighth grade year---consistently used his speed to buy time in the pocket. Boyd tossed four TD passes and rushed for a fifth.

   Boyd may also have made the biggest mistake of the night. Midway through the fourth quarter---with his team trailing 40-38, Boyd was called for his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the game. The call carried with it an automatic ejection, sidelining the Dragons’ main offensive weapon during the critical minutes of the fourth.

   However, despite the all-out style of Central, the Patriots countered with an offensive explosion of their own---primary on the ground. Looking to slow the pace with ball control, AC-S rushed the ball 37 times for 269 yards. Junior Landon Witcher recorded a career-high 119 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown. Senior Jaquez McPeak added a career-best 88 yards on eight attempts and also score once. Christopher Holland picked up 28 yards on the ground and scored once.

   The ground attack also included a three-TD rushing night from quarterback Trace McIntyre. The junior scored on runs of 27, 10, and one yards but it was through the air that McIntyre made a mark. His 90-yard scoring hook-up with junior receiver Jax Cooper highlighted a game in which McIntyre threw for a career-best 149 yards.

   AC-S needed the offense to out dual Warren Central. The Dragons opened the scoring at the 10:22 point of the first period when Jordan Lindsey scored on a 32-yard bolt through the middle of the AC-S defense. The Dragons---who went for two on every score---missed the try but led 6-0.

   The Patriots recovered the onside kick at the Dragon 47-yard line. Keeping the ball on the ground, AC-S marched to the end zone with McIntyre’s 27-yard run at the 6:32 mark tying the game. Thorny Walker added the PAT.

   Central countered with a nine-play, 85-yard scoring drive. Boyd connected with Justin Borden for the touchdown. A successful two-point conversion gave Central a 14-7 lead. On the following kickoff, the Dragons recovered the onside kick but their following drive stalled as AC-S held at their own 13 yard line.

   Less than two minutes into the second period, the Patriots pulled to within a point. After starting at the 13-yard line, runs of 22 and seven yards by Witcher were followed by McPeak breaking free for a 38-yard gain. Three plays later, McIntyre’s 12-yard scoring run capped the drive.

   Central quickly moved to inside the Patriots’ 10-yard line. However, a strong defense stand held the Dragons, allowing AC-S to take possession at their own 15-yard line. After a five-yard penalty, McIntyre dropped back and delivered a 30-yard pass to Cooper along the AC-S sideline. Cooper grabbed the pass and raced to the end zone to complete the 90-yard touchdown. Walker’s PAT gave AC-S a 20-14 lead with 6:04 left in the first half.

   “Jax was rolling,” Hood added. “It was great to have Cooper back on the field after him being out the last two weeks due to an injury.”

   The Dragons added the tying touchdown as Boyd scored on a seven yard run at the 2:18 mark, capping an 80-yard drive in less than four minutes. However, the scoring in the first half was not over. Again, Central went to the onside kick. AC-S recovered at midfield and went on the attack. After a 44-yard pass to Cooper put the ball at the Dragon three-yard line. McPeak scored with 25 seconds left in the first half. Walker added the point after to give AC-S a 27-20 lead at halftime.

   The teams exchanged a series non-scoring possessions to start the second 24 minutes. AC-S would be the first to break into the scoring column again as McIntyre capped a drive with a one-yard run at the 2:18 mark. Walker missed the point after leaving AC-S with the 33-20 lead.

   The Patriots’ score reignited the Central offense. Less than two minutes later, the Dragons added their fourth score of the game as Borden caught his second scoring pass of the game. After forcing AC-S to punt---the only punt of the game by AC-S---on the next series, Central countered with a 10-play, 88-yard march down the field. Five completed passes highlighted the march down the field with Antonio Barbee’s six-yard reception pulling the Dragons within a point, 33-32. Again, Warren Central was denied the two-point conversion by a strong defensive effort.

   The onside-kick-on-every-kickoff strategy backfired on the next play. Central’s kicker managed to bounce the pigskin toward Witcher---positioned on the front line to receive the sure-bet kick. Rather than clutching the ball and falling to the ground, Witcher grabbed the ball in flight and raced from near midfield to the Dragon’s 18-yard line.

   “Landon timed it up just perfect and caught it in stride,” Hood explained. “If it had not been for Central’s speed, he would have taken it to the house.”

   The risky play by Witcher led to a quick reward for the talented back. After carrying for six yards, Witcher raced into the end zone to give the Patriots a 39-32 lead with 6:55 left in the game. Walker’s point after made it an eight-point lead for the Patriots.

   Central was not done. Two plays later, Boyd connected with Bordon for a 72-yard scoring strike, pulling their team to within two, 40-38, at the 6:06 point.

   It was back to the onside kick for the Dragons---and this time to strategy worked to perfection. The Dragons recovered, taking possession at the AC-S 33-yard line following a unsportsmanlike call on the Patriots. The call would trigger a series of back-and-forth yellow flags, one of which resulted in Boyd’s ejection. After a crazy series of plays and attempted plays, AC-S stopped the Dragons on a fourth down from the 32 with 4:30 left in the game.

   The Patriots marched down the field. Holland’s 10-yard run for a touchdown and Walker’s point after lifted AC-S to a two-score lead and ultimately the nine-point win.

   Defensively, Zane Ward registered a monster night. The senior finished with 12 solo tackles and a total of 15.

   “Zane was zapped after the game,” Hood noted. “He is a receiver and a defensive back that doesn’t come off the field. I love the way he plays for us.”

   Coach Hood pointed out that several things challenged his team in the game---challenges that saw the Patriots respond and led to the coach noting that his defensive unit made plays when it counted. 

   “I’m proud of the fact that they (Central) were o-for-six on fourth downs,” Hood said. “That’s huge. Six times they (Warren Central) risked going for it on fourth down and six times we got the ball back.”

   AC-S (1-4, 1-0) will go from the fire to the frying pan Friday as Franklin-Simpson comes to town. The Wildcats---the reigning Class 4A state champions---are 1-4 and like the Patriots, have played a challenging schedule. Franklin-Simpson lost 28-14 to greenwood, fell 26-21 to Meade County, and dropped a 41-14 game to South Warren. Last week, Franklin-Simpson righted the ship with a 42-0 shutout against Russellville.

   Friday’s game will include several off –the-field events. First, to cap off a week of activities at the high school, the game is labeled as a Pink-Out. Several activities will be held to raise funds for the America Cancer Society. A pre-game community tail gate event will take place prior to kick-off. The Patriot band performs pregame, the kids Joyful Noise choir will sing the National Anthem, and halftime will feature a special recognition