As Warrenton ran out the clock on the team’s 45-42 upset win over Holt Saturday in a Class 5 District 4 semifinal, Warriors coach Mark Thomas turned to the vast sea of red-clad supporters in the stands at St. Charles High School and pumped his fist in celebration.

While the win set up a district championship date with top-seeded Fort Zumwalt South Tuesday, back at St. Charles, it also continued something of a community effort that has seen the team on its dynamic postseason run.

Thomas said that investment put in by the players, coaches, and community has helped see the No. 6 seeded Warriors through first an upset of third-seeded Parkway North and now the hard-fought win over No. 2 Holt.

“I just know that I get to have more time with our guys, I really love being around them, the work they put in and the energy they bring,” Thomas said. “It means a lot to me to get a couple more days to work with them. Our parents love to be at our games and cheer. That’s probably one of the biggest road crowds we’ve ever had. I was really happy the community came out and supported us the way they did. At the end, I was pumping up our parents for all they do for us.”

Warriors senior guard and Truman State signee Troy Anderson, who finished with eight points in the win, said that the boisterous crowd was a helpful factor in the victory.

As the game went through 14 lead changes and 10 ties, the team and its supporters were there, seemingly in unison, for every single high and low.

“I definitely didn’t expect on a Saturday at three o’clock to have that many people in St. Charles,” Anderson said. “It was a great atmosphere, a great game and Holt put up a great fight, but we came out on top, and they (the crowd) helped.”

The all-hands-on-deck nature that has helped Warrenton to its title shot didn’t come from just down the varsity bench or from the stands, it was something that echoed throughout the program.

Thomas specifically lauded junior varsity players Travis Corbett and Marcus Greene for their practice efforts to give the team a glimpse at what it would be facing in top players on opposing teams in the district playoff rounds.

Specifically, having a practice player stand in for the talents of Holt sophomore Will Salonies, who scored 14 points against the Warriors Saturday, was a huge plus.

“It’s not just the guys on the court who helped with the adjustments we made,” Thomas said. “We had guys in practice, underclassmen who didn’t get into the game, become the best player on the other team. They’d listen to our coaches and work hard (to give a feel of an opponent’s capabilities) and that’s been huge for us. No. 2 (Salonies) that was out there today, he’s a great player. We had a freshman (mimic his capabilities) and that prepared us.”

Junior guard Mason Thompson, who hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to give Warrenton the 31-28 lead, said that – to a man – the team was there for each other to the final whistle.

“You’ve just got to fill your role and my team needed a three, so I hit a three, it put us back into the game,” Thompson said. “I can’t say enough about the support we had. No one wants to play in an empty gym where you have to hype each other up. That packed gym, it was huge.”

Sophomore post player Taylor Anderson, who led Warrenton with 15 points in the win including a key conventional 3-point play with three minutes left that put the team in front for good, said that the program’s leadership is what makes Warrenton tick.

So, as Warrenton awaits Zumwalt South (20-6), Taylor Anderson said he can’t help but feel confident as Warrenton chases its 10^th district championship in school history and first since 2000.

“We practice every day, we go over film, we have great coaches who draw stuff up for us to go out there and do it,” Taylor Anderson said. “It means a lot to have coach Thomas and our other coaches to get us prepared. We do this because of them.”

In addition to the Andersons, senior Joe Goldsmith scored eight points in the win while Thompson added seven points – all in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Deadrick Forrest added five points in the win while sophomore Elijah Peth added two points.