This past Friday the Nanih Waiya Warriors won the 1A Football State Championship — their first in school history.
Simmons went into the game with a 54-game winning streak, tied for longest in the country with Caledonia (Minnesota). The Warriors were seeking vengeance after losing to Simmons the previous year in a heartbreaking manner in Oxford.
The Simmons Blue Devils seemed as if they were just playing for another State Title and another notch on their winning streak, but the Warriors were playing for the love of the game and the passion to win their first state title.
The Warriors red zone defense was on lockdown the whole game. Simmons’ three touchdowns in the game, which NW won 21-18, were all 50+ yards in length. Simmons had an 87-yard reception that was almost a 90-yard touchdown but senior Deon Hickman chased the player down tackling him at the 3 yard line, forcing a monstrous goal line stand for the Warriors.
The Warriors were very good on the ground game thanks to Donovan Turner and Shia Moore who dominated the Simmons defense. Turner had 149 rushing yards and one touchdown and Moore had 90 yards and a touchdown. Moore also had a passing touchdown to Coley Taylor from 34 yards after a flea flicker play by the Warriors. Taylor also had a circus catch on the first drive of the game that seemed to get the Warriors rolling with momentum.
Penalties seemed to destroy the Blue Devils this game as they had 12 penalties for 100 yards, and the Warriors had just two for seven yards.
The Warriors had a game to remember, playing their hearts out to close out an amazing season. As time was running down the Warriors were forced to punt in the final two minutes only up by three points. Stress was filling both sidelines as the game was soon to be decided. Simmons had hope, but sophomore Austin Sanders was not going to let it live long, as he intercepted the football sealing the game for the Warriors.
All that was left was for the Warriors to take a knee as they won the game, against all odds. You could see the tears in the eyes of players, coaches, and fans as the embraced the moment they had been waiting ages for after falling short many years.
This was their moment.
Cooper Sanders, a resident of Winston County is a sports columnist. His articles can be read weekly in the Winston County Journal. He can be contacted by e-mail at starsportsboss@yahoo.com
