It came a week later than anticipated, but the White County Warriors opened the 2020 football season with a convincing 45-12 win over the Cumberland County Jets on Saturday night in Sparta.
Sophomore quarterback Malaki Dowell made his debut at the QB position in style, accounting for five touchdowns in the win.
“It was nice to be on the field for a change,” said WCHS head coach Mark Frasier. “Even tonight it took us forever with the rain, but excited. With one practice coming into the game there was a lot of question marks, but we finally got the chance to get out there to show how hard they worked in the offseason. I know they were excited to be on the field and they showed it tonight.”
The game, which was the first of the Warriors season, was delayed 45 extra minutes due to lightning, but the delay did not prevent Sparta from racing out to a fast start.
Dowell showed off his running ability on the first drive of the game. He first took off on a 19-yard rush to convert a third-down, and then score on a 42-yard touchdown rush. A two-point-conversion gave the Warriors an 8-0 lead.
The Warriors then recovered a CCHS fumble on the ensuing drive, and senior Kade Clark took in a seven-yard touchdown rush to stretch the lead to 15-0.
Sparta’s defense then forced another turnover, an interception. Dowell took in his second touchdown of the first quarter to give the Warriors a 22-0 lead.
Frasier said the quick start was important.
“It was very important,” said Frasier. “Crossville is a much better team (than previous years). This score is not indicative of how close these two teams are. Coach Repasky is going to do a great job there. Confidence is important. It was good to get out early.”
The Jets struck back on a 45-yard touchdown pass near the end of the quarter to cut the deficit to 22-6.
Dowell continued his strong performance in the second quarter, adding another rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown to Ethan Light to give Sparta a 36-12 lead at the end of the first half.
What an offensive first half for the Warriors. They come right back down the field and score on this 37 yard touchdown from Dowell to Ethan Light.
Halftime
Warriors 36
Jets 12 pic.twitter.com/31idcrlqU1— Noah McKay (@NoahMcKayUCR) August 30, 2020
Dowell added a 60-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter as the Warriors cruised to the 45-12 win.
The Warriors offense tallied 390 total yards. Dowell rushed for 217 yards on 12 carries, averaging over 18 yards per carry. He added 83 yards passing and accounted for five touchdowns.
“I’m proud of him,” said Frasier on his quarterback’s performance. “I expect good things from him. He’s got a lot to learn too. He made some mistakes tonight too, and he had some great blocking up front. It’s an 11-man game but he played well tonight. I was excited for how he came out in his first games starting at quarterback.”
The Warriors (1-0) will now turn their attention towards a matchup with CAK (2-0). Sparta lost the 2019 matchup against CAK 32-29.
“CAK beat us last year and we know they’re off to a 2-0 start,” said Frasier. “They’ve got a lot of talent, but I think our guys are ready to face that so we’ll see how it goes.”
Kickoff between the Warriors and CAK is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Sparta.
