Warrenton High School’s Warriors beat the Washington Jays 26-7 at David Huff Memorial Stadium on Friday, pulling away in the second half behind a 47-yard touchdown run from Jevon Jones and a string of sustained drives that turned field position and time of possession against Washington. The game was broadcast on the Warrenton Sports Network by Keith Brown with analyst Coach McCandless.

The win mattered because Washington came in as a class 5 opponent, a larger-school test the Warriors had to meet for early-season district standing. Warrenton’s second-half adjustments — a heavier emphasis on power runs and two successful long completions from quarterback Christian Blondin to receiver Diedrich Forrest — flipped momentum after a tight first half that ended tied 7-7.

Warrenton’s offense leaned on its run game in the second half. Jevon Jones broke a 47-yard run on the second-half opening series to give Warrenton the lead, and later added another rushing touchdown that helped push the margin out of Washington’s reach. “He just really ran the ball well,” Coach McCandless said on the broadcast. “Played great both sides of the ball.”

Blondin completed several key passes to Forrest, who accounted for the Warriors’ earlier touchdown with a 38-yard reception late in the first half and later produced a 75-yard gain after the catch that set up a goal-to-go series. “Diedrich did a nice job getting behind the defense,” Brown said after the long reception, which moved Warrenton inside the 12 and led to a short rushing touchdown.

Washington’s offense was primarily ground-based throughout the night. Senior running back Lane Girling scored Washington’s lone touchdown on a 12-yard run in the first quarter, capping an opening 15-play, 80-yard drive. Quarterback Carter Hill mixed keeps and handoffs in Washington’s jumbo and misdirection packages but the Jays were held to one touchdown total as Warrenton tightened its tackling and brought more linebackers into the run fit in the second half.

Special teams and field position were notable factors. Warrenton kicker Jake Kenny and Washington’s kickoff/punt teams traded squib and directional kicks that influenced starting field position, and a few early penalties stalled Washington drives; a holding penalty negated a promising Washington play in the first half and a later false-start/illegal-procedure snap timing issue affected Warrenton’s two-point attempts.

Defensively, Warrenton’s front seven made repeated tackles for little gain and pressured the Washington backfield in the fourth quarter, forcing punts and limiting third-down conversions. On one sequence late in the third quarter, the Warriors converted a long pass play into a touchdown and then ran clock-heavy series that bled time and kept Washington off the field.

Game leaders mentioned during the broadcast included Jevon Jones (two rushing TDs, including the 47-yarder), Diedrich Forrest (multiple explosive catches, including a 38-yard TD and a 75-yard reception), and Christian Blondin (the Warrenton quarterback who connected repeatedly with Forrest). Washington’s Lane Girling and quarterback Carter Hill were cited for steady rushing production and a willingness to run their jumbo packages.

Warrenton improved its record and will travel next week to Wentzville Liberty. Washington will travel to Hillsborough next week. The broadcast closed with a brief postgame analysis naming Jones, Forrest, Blondin and Girling as the game’s standout performers.

Sources: Play-by-play and postgame commentary on the Warrenton Sports Network broadcast.