In an intense battle against Round Rock on Oct. 17, the Freshmen Warriors gave it their all and kept fighting until the end; however, in an unfortunate end score, the game ended in an 18-0 loss.
To start the game with possession Round Rock scored quickly. After a failed drive by the Warriors, the Dragons retook possession. However, due to some good pressure and a clutch flag on the Dragons, the Warriors held them 6-0 in the first quarter.
“[To improve before our next games] We just watch the film, see what we did wrong, and try to fix that for our next one,” Ryder Yendle ‘28 said.
Coming back onto the field with the ball the Warriors looked to make it on the board with their first drive of the second quarter. However, the Warrior punting streak continued as a short run on third ended their drive. In a stark shift in momentum, Ty´Ron McGowan ‘28 picked off the dragons, preventing any further touchdowns. However, despite this defensive advantage, the Warrior offense could not seem to get the ball rolling as a false start and a slew of mistimed rushes gave Round Rock the ball with 39 seconds left in the half, ending it 6-0 with the Dragons still in the lead.
“[I] just played my heart out and did anything I could [with so little time left on the clock], it’s all for the team,” Christian Rodriguez ’28 said.
The Warriors entered the field with their heads high ready to continue the fight. So the defense did just that as the defense continued to stop the Dragons short of a first down. However, even with these stands, the Dragons still managed to punch one in, putting the game 12-0. Soon, with 3:33 left in the quarter Arjun Parthipan ‘28 blasted through the defensive line for a 50-yard gain, but again, a holding penalty early in the play called it back, forcing another punt by the Warriors.
“Coach told us just to give it our all and win or lose we were playing well [during our time out],” Ryder said.
Entering the fourth quarter, they made sure to keep their defense strong as Liam Schussler ’28 tossed a Dragon out of bounds preventing their third touchdown of the game. But, the same pattern continued as the offense could not seem to find a foothold as the defense fought with all they had, eventually falling short, ending the game 18-0 as the Dragons scored a final time in the final moment of the game.
“I think we played very well for missing quite a few people and having only 22 players on the field,” Ryder said “I think some people gave it their all and weren’t too happy with the outcome but overall I think we played well for the circumstances,”
The Warriors will go up against the Stony Point Tigers on the road on Thursday, Oct. 24, starting at 5:00 p.m. in one of their last games of the season.
