Prep football: Warriors suffer 35-28 setback to Colts

VINCENT - Meadowbrook quarterback Trey Pugh completed a six-yard touchdown pass to running back Clay Lapp with just over a minute to play as the Colts rallied to defeat the Warren Warriors 35-28 in a thrilling non-conference game at Warrior Field Friday night.

The two teams combined for 35 fourth quarter points with the Colts coming up with the final 15 to pull out the come-from-behind victory.

The Warriors had taken the fourth quarter lead when Brandon Barnes returned a kick off 85 yards for a touchdown and after a Meadowbrook turnover, Jake Scott scored from two-yards out.

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KAREN HENTHORN Special to The Times
Warren’s defense gang tackles a Meadowbrook ballcarrier during prep football action in Vincent Friday night

Warren turned the ball over four times in the game and was also penalized 10 times for a whopping 115 yards in the game.

"We're not a good enough team to overcome mistakes like that," said Warren head coach Andy Schob. "We had missed assignments that gave them opportunities too. We're just not playing good football right now."

After a scoreless first quarter that saw each team turn the ball over, Meadowbrook scored on the first play of the second quarter when Andrew Stine capped an eight-play, 62-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run.

Barnes gave the Warriors great field position at the Colt 37 yard line when he returned the ensuing kick off 48 yards.

Three plays later Warren quarterback Dylan Leffingwell hooked up with David Ryan on a 15-yard touchdown deep into the end zone to knot things up at 7-7.

The Warriors turned the ball over on its next two possessions on a fumble and a Leffingwell interception and the half came to a close with the game remaining tied.

After Meadowbrook went three-and-out to begin the second half, the Warriors took advantage of great field position to take their first lead of the game.

Warren ran seven consecutive running plays with Jared Isner picking up 18 yards and Scott gaining 17 more, before Andrew Henthorn got outside and scored from 10 yards out to give Warren a 14-7 lead.

Meadowbrook answered quickly as they drove 76 yards on just six plays with Lapp bursting thru the line for a 23-yard run to tie things up once again at 14-14.

The Warriors failed to come up with a first down on their next possession and were forced to punt the ball back to the Colt's offense.

Beginning at its own 15-yard line, Meadowbrook methodically moved the ball down field relying mostly on the combination of quarterback Trey Pugh and receiver Cody Johnston.

Johnston hauled in four catches for 46 yards on the drive, including a 23-yard strike on the first play of the final quarter and after the extra point was no good the Colts held a 20-14 lead.

On the ensuing kick off once again it was a big play by Barnes that sparked the Warriors as he fielded the kick at his own 15-yard line and after getting several key blocks raced all the way to the end zone to put the royal blue and white up by a single point at 21-20.

"Brandon Barnes did a great job tonight," said Schob of his junior return man. "That kick return turned the momentum and turned the game."

That momentum carried right over to the next play for Warren, when Cole Wigal's high kick off was muffed by the Colts and the Warriors recovered deep in Meadowbrook territory.

After a 15-yard penalty set up a 3rd-and- 23 at the Colt 39- yard line, the Warriors came up with what at the time appeared to be the play of the game when Leffingwell hit Scott on a perfectly executed screen play all the way down to the two-yard line.

Scott scored on the very next play to give Warren a 28-20 lead with just under 10 minutes to go in the game.

With their backs now planted firmly against the wall, the resilient Colts came charging right back, driving 74-yards in just under four minutes and when Pugh connected with Jacob Quinn on a six-yard pass, Meadowbrook was a two-point conversion away from tying the game once again.

That attempt would prove successful when Pugh hit Lapp on a short pass out of the backfield and the junior running back plowed his way into the end zone to tie the game yet again at 28-28.

Warren's chances at a game ending drive ended abruptly when the Colt defense stripped Scott of the ball and recovered at the Warrior 27-yard line.

A 20-yard scramble by Pugh set up a first and goal at the Warrior 7-yard line and two plays later Pugh delivered a perfect pass to a diving Lapp for the go-ahead score with just over a minute to play.

Colt head coach Jesse Wells was impressed with the leadership and poise displayed by Pugh in the waining minutes of the game.

"He's a senior and we put a lot on his shoulders," said Wells. "He played really well tonight."

Warren had one chance left, but Leffingwell's pass attempt on fourth down fell incomplete to turn the ball over to the Colts on downs with only seconds remaining.

Wells liked the ability of his team to keep fighting back each time it appeared the Warriors had momentum on their side.

"We've struggled a little bit with adversity," said Wells in his third year as Colt head coach. "Not anymore. We are able to keep playing when bad things happen and that is the sign of a good team."

Pugh completed 16-of-24 passes in the game for 150 yards and the three touchdowns, while also pacing the Colts with 117 yards rushing on 21 touches.

Johnston hauled in 12 of those passes for a game high 131 yards.

Leffingwell connected on 5-of-16 pass attempts in the game for 107 yards, while Scott led the Warriors in rushing with 46 yards on 12 carries.

Meadowbrook improved to 3-1 on the year with the Warriors falling to 1-3.

"We have to get back to work and start playing a lot better if we want to be successful," said Schob.