The Vardaman Rams never really had a chance against Nanih Waiya last week.
The Warriors scored early, often and with ease as they pounded the Rams 48-14 on Friday night.
With the win, the Warriors improve to 8-1 on the season and 6-0 in Region 3-1A play and will travel to Ethel this week.
“I thought it was a complete victory,” first-year Nanih Waiya coach James Courtney said. “We wanted to work on throwing the football and did a better job at that. I thought the line did their job and the backs did a good job of running the football. I thought the defense did a good job. We are continuing to get better in the secondary with our young kids. I thought we got better this week. We just want to continue to get better every week.”
The Warriors had little trouble finding the end zone as the scored 34 points in just 14 offensive plays and had four two-play scoring drives.
The first was a 60-yard drive as Shia Moore scored on a 58-yard run on the second play of the game. Jake Kight’s PAT was good and Nanih Waiya led 7-0.
After a Vardaman punt, Devean Turner got in on the act as the raced 65 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 Warrior lead.
The Warriors got the ball right back after Vardaman fumbled the ensuing kick. This time Donovan Turner hit Deon Hickman on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Kight’s PAT was good and the Warriors led 20-0.
The Warrior defense came up with another turnover as defensive tackle James Resh intercepted a screen pass that set up another two-play drive. This time Donovan Turner scored on an 8-yard run with 4:00 left in the first quarter. Kight’s Pat gave the Warriors a 27-0 lead.
The Warriors added another first-quarter score as Donovan Turner hit Coley Taylor on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Kight’s PAT gave the Warriors a 34-0 lead.
After recovering a Vardaman fumble, the Warriors worked on their passing game as they went 69 yards in nine plays as Turner hit Taylor for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Knight’s PAT gave the Warriors a 41-0 lead early in the second.
The Warriors got the ball right back as Vardaman fumbled the ensuing kickoff again. Moore made the Rams pay as he raced 25 yards for a touchdown. Knight’s PAT gave the Warriors a 48-0 lead.
“This group gets along as good as any I have been around,” Courtney said. “They play well together and they are a fun group to be around. They aren’t a quiet bunch but they are good-natured kids and they are fun to be around. They don’t pout when somebody is having a good day. They are always praising their teammates and glad when they do something.”
The Warriors had 345 yards of total offense with 280 rushing and 65 passing. Donovan Turner was 7-of-10 passing for 65 yards and three TDs. Moore led the rushing attack with 161 yards on eight carries while Devean Turner had 66 yards on two carries. Coley Taylor had 42 yards receiving on three catches while Deon Hickman had 23 yards receiving on three catches.
“Some of them don’t get but a couple of carries a game,” Courtney said. “But they cheer on the guy who is getting the ball and just expect next week to be their week. I haven’t seen anybody get down and that helps for sure.”
The Warriors will look to extend their winning streak as they travel to Ethel this week.
The Tigers are 1-7 on the season and broke a 19-game losing streak against Hamilton with a 26-8 win.
“Coach (Dave) McCrory has done a good job with them,” Courtney said. “They have only won one game but they have been in a lot of them. They are a lot better than a one-win team. They have had a chance to win four or five of those games. If they continue to buy in, I think they are a team on the rise.
“They have a good quarterback that can go so we have to focus on limiting him. We don’t take anybody for granted, that’s for sure.”
