VINCENT - Warren will literally be road Warriors in its next three football games.
At 7:30 p.m. this Friday, the Andy Schob-coached royal blue and white gridders will conclude non-conference competition at Meigs High in Pomeroy.
The following week, on Sept. 28, Warren will kick off Southeastern Ohio Athletic League play at Jackson, the two-time defending league champion. On Oct. 5, the Warriors are slated to travel to Chillicothe for another SEOAL tilt.
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KAREN HENTHORN Special to The Times
Warren pass rusher Tyler Welch (59) puts the heat on the Meadowbrook quarterback during prep football action in Vincent last Friday night. Brandon Paul (77) and Blake Staley (71) are charging in to help.
First things first, though: Mike Bartrum-coached Meigs.
"Meigs is big and physical and has talented players," Schob said.
Both Warren and Meigs own identical 1-3 overall records. So far, the Warriors' only win was against Marietta in Week 2, while the Marauders' lone victory was versus River Valley in Week 3.
Last Friday night, while Warren was dropping a 35-28 decision to Meadowbrook in Vincent, Meigs was getting blanked by Trimble, 22-0, in Glouster.
Needless to say, both schools are itching to get back in the "W" column.
Since beating Marietta 35-7, Warren has been routed 66-14 at Athens and lost a close one to Meadowbrook in the final minutes of play.
Offensively, against the Colts (3-1), Warren had a balanced attack, rushing and passing for 107 yards apiece. The Warriors were also penalized 10 times for 110 yards, and turning the ball over on four occasions didn't help the cause any, either.
On special teams, Brandon Barnes was a standout, running one kickoff back 85 yards for a touchdown and another 48 yards to the Meadowbrook 37.
Jake Scott and Andrew Henthorn each had a rushing TD, and David Ryan caught a 15-yard Dylan Leffingwell throw for a score.
Defensively, Warren gave up 343 total yards (193 rushing, 150 passing).
"Meadowbrook is a good football team, but we had too many missed assignments on defense and allowed too many third and fouth down conversions that allowed them to keep the football," Schob said. "We also need to eliminate turnovers as it is hard to win any game with four turnovers."
Meigs' offense struggled against Trimble as it amassed just 80 total yards (10 rushing, 70 passing).
Kaileb Sheets is expected to take center snaps for the Marauders, and his primary receiving targets will probably be Ty Phelps, Dillon Boyer, and Damon Jones. Michael Davis is one of the maroon and gold's ground gainers.
"They were 6-4 last year and are looking to get things rolling as they come back home," Scob said. "We start league play next week (at Jackson), and we want to get some things ironed out and corrected before then."
Three years ago, the last time that Warren and Meigs played each other, the Warriors defeated the Marauders, an Ohio Division IV, Region 15 school, 27-26, in double overtime.
"We still feel that if we do a better job carrying out our assignments and take better care of the football, we can be successful this week," continued Schob. "Our players have had a good attitude dealing with some adversity and are looking forward to this week's game.
"One of our best all-around players and captain, Chas Miller should return this week. He always plays hard and his play is contagious to the rest of our team."
