By Michael Lindsay
The White County Warriors opened Region 4-4A play Thursday evening at Stone Memorial and left Crossville with a 28-12 victory over Stone Memorial behind a 3-touchdown effort from quarterback Tripp Pinion.
The senior gunslinger threw for 2 touchdowns and rushed another as the Warriors improved to 3-1 overall. Thursday’s win avenges a 28-26 loss to the Panthers in 2023 and gets White County back in the win column following a loss to Cookeville last week.
“It’s huge,” said White County head coach Curtis Beaty. “Last year, we lost the Cookeville game and lost another emotional game and it was the downhill slide that ended our season. To bounce back after an emotional loss last week and pick up a win over a good Region 4-4A team is huge for our team.”
White County opened the contest with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns take a 14-0 lead over the Panthers. The first came on Sparta’s opening drive on third and 13 as Pinion hit Darvon Richmond on a 69-yard touchdown pass with 7:06 left in the first quarter. The Warriors extended their lead to 14-0 with 1:51 left in the frame as Isaiah Kelso rushed in a touchdown from 15 yards out.
The Warriors pushed ahead by 3 scores early in the second quarter as Pinion connected with Damarius Dowell on a 14-yard touchdown strike to take a 21-0 lead with 8:46 left until halftime.
Stone Memorial got on the board shortly after as quarterback Noah Potter hit Kadyn Page on a 5-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-6 at halftime.
The Panthers struck first in the second half Potter found Maddox Oquendo on a 17-yard touchdown pass to bring Stone Memorial within 9 points at 21-12 late in the third quarter.
Pinion answered Stone Memorial’s touchdown with a score of his own on the ensuing drive as he broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run to give the Warriors a 28-12 lead with 1:25 left in the third period.
Neither offense broke through in the fourth quarter as the Warriors held on to win by a 28-12 final score.
White County improves to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Region 4-4A play while Stone Memorial falls to 2-2 and 1-1. The Warriors are scheduled to host Upperman next week while Stone Memorial travels to Meigs County (2-0).
