On Friday night the Warriors fell to the Hendrickson Hawks 51-14. Although the Warriors suffered their first loss in district, the boys didn’t let up their intensity or drive to win.

“We’ve had a number of injuries, especially in the receiver position resulting in players having to play different spots on the field,” Ryan Lindley ‘20 said. “So considering that factor, I thought the receivers played fairly well, but as always we need to improve for next week.”

To start off the first quarter, the Hawks began with possession of the ball on the Hawks’ own 43-yard line. Immediately after, the Hawks carried the ball to the 10-yard line and scored a touchdown. On the punt return, Ian Cox ’19 caught the return and carried it to the 40-yard line. Over the next few plays, receiver Cameron Thomas ’18 carried the ball to the 35-yard line, where a 15-yard penalty was called due to a face mask penalty by the Hawks. Following, Thomas then caught the ball in the end zone for the Warriors’ first touchdown of the game. On the return, the Hawks began on the Warriors’ 39-yard line. Over the next few plays, the Hawks scored again. Now with the ball back in the Warriors’ possession, the Warriors gained yardage slowly with carries from Thomas, Lindley, and Mario Debs ’19, ending the quarter at 22-7.

“That loss really hit us hard,” Thomas said. “They’re starting to realize that this season is really going downhill for us, and we need to step our game up ASAP.”

Flipping sides, the Warriors began with the ball. Only a few plays into the game, Lindley caught the ball on the one-yard line. To keep everyone on their toes, on the Warriors third down, the ball was pushed back two yards before Matt Pravednikov ’19 caught the second and final touchdown for the Warriors. On the return, kicker Kaeden Roberts ’19 took down the Hawks receiver in possession of the ball. Further into the quarter, a holding penalty was called and declined resulting in an automatic turnover to the Warriors possession of the ball. On the fourth down, the Warriors kick was blocked and pushed back into the end zone, resulting in a safety and an automatic two points given to the Hawks. A few plays later, spite the Warriors attempt to hold the Hawks offense back, the Hawks scored again ending the half at 14-31.

“The loss was a wake up a call for the whole team,” Lindley said. “And sometimes a loss can be a good thing to get the mindset right for the team. We will get to work this week and prepare for McNeil.”

Over the course of the third quarter, starting quarterback Will Jennings ’18 suffered an injury resulting in an immediate removal from the game. Due to this, over the course of the third and fourth quarters, the ball was ran in order to gain yardage. In the final moments of the third quarter, the Hawks scored two more touchdowns. In the fourth quarter, neither teams scored, ending the game at 51-14. Although the Warriors suffered this first loss in districts and multiple players were injured, the Warriors continued to fight, even when they had the opportunities to give up they didn’t, due to the high spirits and encouragements the coaches brought to the players throughout the game.

“When our big playmakers get back from injury,” Thomas said, “better believe that we’re giving no mercy.”

The Warriors will prove their worth against the McNeil Mavericks on Friday, Oct. 12 at the KRAC at 7 p.m. for the Homecoming game. Go Wood.