“Explosive team” and “dynamite defense” were things plastered on the Warrenton football team’s homecoming parade float on Oct. 13. Those words have proven to be true as the Warriors recorded their first shutout of the season to go 7-0 after defeating St. Charles 35-0 on Oct. 11. 

“Defensively, we played a phenomenal game,” Head Coach Jason Koper said. “Looking back on the film and seeing it live, we did a great job containing Rowe, who’s a tremendous athlete at quarterback.”

Koper went on to say the team was focused and dedicated to containing Rowe and the St. Charles’ offense, touting the defense for one of their best games so far. 

“Overall, there’s a lot of guys that stepped up. There was just a lot of really good quality football from a lot of different players,” Koper said. 

One of the many players Koper credited was junior Taylor Anderson. 

“He had a great game and we knew once we got to this type of team, that Taylor would be able to come in and step up big for us,” Koper said. “He had two sacks and did a really good job getting pressure on the quarterback.” 

Collectively as a team, the Warriors recorded a whopping nine sacks. Treyvian Guthrie had four and Austin Haas, Cole Meyer and Kadin Stroer each had one. 

“I thought our guys were focused, dedicated and committed to trying to contain and stop their offense,” Koper said. 

Koper noted there were a few mistakes in Friday’s contest, but overall the team was solid and as the season has progressed, critical errors and penalties are becoming less frequent. 

“You want to play your best football once you get closer to the end of the season and I feel like we’ve taken a lot of steps forward in a lot of different ways as we’ve gone on,” Koper said. 

At halftime, the Warriors were up 28-0, with Mason Thompson scoring a touchdown off a 26-yard reception just seven seconds into the game. Thompson later recovered a fumble and returned it for a 78-yard touchdown. Austin Haas also scored two touchdowns, along with Brandon Johnson recording one. 

In addition, Haas rushed for 219 yards on 19 carries. Johnson completed seven passes for 99 yards. Peyton Dawson caught two passes for 47 yards and Thompson had two receptions for 37 yards. 

This Friday, Warrenton will host undefeated Orchard Farm Eagles for the conference championship game. Currently, the Warriors are ranked sixth for small schools in the St. Louis metro area, while Orchard Farm is ranked eighth. 

Koper said the team will be focusing on getting mentally prepared throughout the week. 

“They know what we need to do, mentally and physically, to prepare,” Koper said. “Orchard Farm’s a very talented football team, so we got to be sharp on execution.” 

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.