It wasn’t the start that Nanih Waiya coach James Courtney was looking for, but it was the finish he asked for at halftime.
The Warriors led 21-0 at the half and then scored two quick second-half touchdowns as they cruised to a 41-6 win over Hatley on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
The Warriors had 289 yards of total offense on the night with 261 rushing and 28 passing but struggled in the first half.
“I thought we came out in the first half and were sluggish,” Courtney said. “They were able to string together some first downs and keep our offense off the field. I didn’t think we played really well in the first half. We challenged them to come out and play with some more urgency and I thought our kids did that. We came out and scored twice in about three minutes and it was sort of over from there.”
The Warriors lost a fumble on their first possession and finally found the end zone as Devean Turner scored on a 26-yard run while Jake Kight booted the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
The Warriors got the ball right back as Tyquan McCully recovered a Hatley fumble.
Four plays later, Shia Moore raced 44 yards for a 14-0 lead.
The Warriors got the ball right back when McCully intercepted a Hatley pass.
This time Devean Turner scored on a 4-yard run right before the half to give the Warriors a 21-0 lead.
The Warriors came out of the dressing room on fire as Austin Anders returned the opening kick 90 yards for a touchdown and the Warriors led 28-0.
Devean Turner got in on the defensive action when he recovered a fumble. Two plays later, Austin Sanders raced 21 yards for a touchdown for a 34-0 lead.
“Everybody, all the way around, played better in the second half,” Courtney said. “I just thought we had a lack of focus. But give Hatley credit, they played well and pushed us. They did some things that we hadn’t seen on film so we had to settle in and get adjusted on defense.”
The Warriors added one more score to start the fourth quarter when Sanders scored on a 42-yard run for a 41-0 lead.
Moore led the Warriors on the ground with 91 yards on seven carries while Donovan Turner had 62 yards on eight carries. Austin Sanders had 61 yards on two carries while Devean Turner had 40 yards on three carries.
On defense, Tyree McClendon had nine assists while Devonta Carter had four solo tackles and 11 assists. Taylor Higginbotham had one solo tackle, six assists, a sack and a tackle for loss. Devean Turner had one solo tackle, six assists, and interception and a fumble recovery while Austin Sanders had one solo and six assists and Kyle Holdiness had six assists.
The Warriors will go on the road as they take on Union, who opened the season with a 43-35 win over Choctaw Central.
“They are real good up front and have a good, young quarterback,” Courtney said. “They have good skill people and will challenge us for sure.They will spread the ball out and that will be a new challenge for us. They are the first spread team we have played this year. We will have to tackle well in space.
“Nanih Waiya hasn’t beaten Union a lot in the past. It’s a big game and usually pretty close. It’s turned into somewhat of a rivalry. We will have to focus and get after it, that’s for sure.”
Last year, Nanih Waiya took a 48-6 win over the Yellowjackets.
