The Warriors were off to a frustrating start in their second game of the season against Washington High School last Thursday. Walking into the locker room, the halftime score was 7-0 and while Warrenton was winning, Head Coach Jason Koper had a lot to say. 

At first, Koper was frustrated with the mental mistakes. Secondly, he told the boys they need to come together as a family and a team, which is exactly what they did in the second half.  

It was a completely different game when the Warriors came out in the second half, which led to a 28-7 victory and left Washington doomed from the minute they returned to the field. 

The Warriors added three more touchdowns and only allowed Washington one. 

“I didn’t feel like we were really playing football. We were just kind of out there trying to be physical without a purpose,” Koper said. “Seeing our guys bond together and come out in the second half and really just play spectacular on defense and make the plays we needed to on offense.” 

Koper noted that the defense stepped up huge throughout the night and he saw major improvement from their performance compared to their season-opener. 

“Defensive performance was absolutely fantastic. I just couldn’t be more proud of our effort. You know, flying around, good energy,” Koper said. 

Koper was very pleased with the performance, but said that the team still made one too many mistakes that he wants to see them clean up. 

The game not only solidified a 2-0 start for the Warriors, making it their 11th consecutive regular season win, but Austin Haas also surpassed the career rushing school record with 3,395 rushing yards. 

Haas, a senior running back, broke this record on Sept. 5 after a 29-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. In addition, he rushed 113 yards total. 

Mason Thompson tacked on six more points after receiving a pass from Brandon Johnson in the third quarter to make the score 14-0. 

Shortly after, Kadin Stroer blocked a punt for an 18-yard touchdown return and Haas added his second rushing touchdown of the night late in the fourth quarter. 

The Warrior’s defense had a couple goal-line stops, but Washington broke through in the fourth quarter for their lone touchdown of the night. 

“Overall, I’m very pleased with our performance and going 2-0 hasn’t happened a lot in the last decade. So, having that two years in a row is just an awesome accomplishment and testament to how hard our seniors work,” Koper said. 

Treyvian Guthrie recorded two sacks and Cole Meyer completed seven tackles. Overall, the Warrior’s defense had 52 tackles. Brandon Johnson completed eight out of 12 passes for 125 yards. 

The Warriors will be at home to take on Liberty at 7 p.m. on Sept. 13.