Nanih Waiya coach James Courtney expected a four-quarter battle out of visiting Smithville on Friday night.
He barely got a quarter as the Warriors raced out to a 27-0 lead and cruised to a 55-12 win over the Seminoles on Friday night.
With the win, the Warriors improve to 10-1 on the season while Smithville falls to 8-3 on the year. The Warriors will square off with arch rival Noxapater on Friday night with the Region 3-1A championship on the line.
“We were expecting a tough game out of them,” Courtney said. “But we talked about a different focus as the playoffs was getting near. I thought they took that to heart. We got off to a quick start and it got out of control a lot quicker than we thought. I thought we did a really good job on both sides of the football. There’s not a lot to criticize.”
The Warriors wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Shia Moore took the first play on offense and raced 55 yards for a touchdown. Jake Kight’s PAT was good and Nanih Waiya held an early 7-0 lead.
On Smithville’s first possession, Austin Sanders got in on the scoring action as he intercepted a pass raced 31 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed and the Warriors led 12-0.
After a Smithville punt, the Warriors drove 64 yards in eight plays as Moore finished off the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run. Kight’s PAT gave the Warriors a 20-0 lead.
The Warriors got the ball right back with an interception by Coley Taylor to give Nanih Waiya the ball at the Smithville 29. Five plays later, Devean Turner bulled into the end zone on a 1-yard run. Kight’s PAT was good and the Warriors led 27-0.
Smithville got its only score of the first half on the ensuing drive as the Seminoles drove 58 yards in eight plays, scoring on a 22-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked and Nanih Waiya led 27-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The Warriors continued to pile on the points in the second quarter with four more touchdowns. The first was a 12-yard run by Moore to Capp off a nine-play, 64-yard drive. Kight’s PAT gave the Warriors a 34-6 lead.
After a short punt, Donovan Turner called his own number and scored on a 38-yard touchdown run to give the Warriors a 41-6 lead.
The Warriors got two big runs to end the half as Moore scored on a 53-yard run and Donovan Turner scored on a 56-yard run as the Warriors led 55-6 at the half.
“We are blessed with big, strong running backs,” Courtney said. “They did a good job of breaking tackles and making big runs. They finished their runs well on Friday night. They have also done a good job of protecting the football this year.”
The Warriors had 397 yards of total offense with 391 on the ground. Moore had another big night as he rushed for 195 yards on 10 carries while Donovan Turner rushed for 137 yards on seven carries.
