South Warren got off to a rocky start against Rocky Mountain High School as the Spartans led the visiting Lobos from Fort Collins, Colo., by a score of just 7-0 at the end of the first quarter due to a plethora of penalties.
But the Spartans were able to overcome their early troubles with a stifling defensive performance all the way throughout as South Warren picked up its sixth victory of the season with a 46-0 shutout win over the Lobos on Friday night.
“We were behind the sticks every single drive,” South Warren coach Brandon Smith said. “We just kept committing penalties, and when you’re out of rhythm offensively the defense can step up and make plays to put you in a good position, and they did a really nice job of doing that.”
The Spartans had 170 penalty yards on 12 infractions in the first half alone, but the defense more than offset this by limiting the Lobos to just 101 yards for the nighy while forcing three turnovers—quarterback Gavin Spurrier and the South Warren offense scoring an offensive touchdown after every takeaway.
“They’re amazing,” Spurrier said. “They’re probably the best defense I’ve ever been a part of. You know, three turnovers, not many yards…they’re really, really good.”
Spurrier completed 21-of-32 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Spartan offense while running back Cameron Harrison tallied 114 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Tomi Mustapha topped the receiving corps with eight receptions for 103 yards and a score.
“I feel like we can do everything,” Spurrier said. “We have a running back who is amazing, an offensive line that does its best every play, and we have receivers who can catch the ball. I think we have a great offense.”
The Spartans (6-0) remained undefeated with the win, and South Warren once again forced the running clock—something that the Spartans have done in every single game so far this year.
Despite struggling for most of the first quarter, South Warren looked strong on the game’s opening drive as Mustapha hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Spurrier after Harrison busted out with a 58-yard run to put the Spartans into the red zone.
The Spartans were unable to score another touchdown before the end of the first frame but extended their lead to 14-0 at the 7:07 mark of the second quarter on a 24-yard touchdown strike from Spurrier to Clayton Bush—the senior and WKU commit jumping up with a Rocky Mountain defender and bringing down the touchdown reception near the front left pylon.
Rocky Mountain (1-4) went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and South Warren quickly translated that defensive stop into points.
Harrison rumbled in four yards into the end zone one play after Spurrier’s 40-yard toss to Mustapha gave the Spartans a first-and-goal, and the senior added another rushing touchdown from 13 yards out with 15 seconds left before halftime to give the Spartans a 27-0 edge at the intermission.
South Warren senior Juwan Hill snagged an interception on the Lobos’ first drive of the second half, and Harrison made them pay for that mistake a few a plays later by running the ball 17 yards in to the end zone for his third score of the night.
The Lobos turned the football over once again as Rowdy Shea came up with an interception and returned it all the way to the Rocky Mountain 2-yard line. Harrison scored his fourth touchdown the very next play to give the Spartans a 40-0 lead with 6:14 to play in the third quarter.
South Warren continued to practice the method of turning defense into offense as sophomore Jason Putnam made a rather impressive one-handed touchdown grab in the left corner in the end zone just a couple plays after the Spartans recovered and returned a fumble inside the red zone to ultimately make the final score 46-0.
“(South Warren) is a darn good football team,” Rocky Mountain coach Mark Brook said. “They’re a team led with talented senior-laden kids. Our cap is totally off to them and their coach. That’s a good football team.”
Despite the seemingly lopsided score, Smith gave credit to the way that the Lobos fought.
“That was a challenging game,” Smith said. “I don’t think the score reflects the kind of team that is and the kind of challenge they presented (Friday night).”
The Lobos will return home to Colorado to host crosstown rival Poudre High on Friday night.
“It’s been a great trip,” Brook said. “The people of Kentucky have been fantastic, very hospitable and have bent over backwards to help us with this trip.”
Meanwhile South Warren will look to keep the momentum rolling as the Spartans travel to Class 5A, District Two rival Greenwood. The Spartans defeated the Gators by a score of 42-11 last season.
Despite struggling for most of the first quarter, South Warren looked strong on the game’s opening drive as Mustapha hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Spurrier after Harrison busted out with a 58-yard run to put the Spartans into the red zone.
The Spartans were unable to score another touchdown before the end of the first frame but extended their lead to 14-0 at the 7:07 mark of the second quarter on a 24-yard touchdown strike from Spurrier to Clayton Bush—the senior and WKU commit jumping up with a Rocky Mountain defender and bringing down the touchdown reception near the front left pylon.
Rocky Mountain (1-4) went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and South Warren quickly translated that defensive stop into points.
Harrison rumbled in four yards into the end zone one play after Spurrier’s 40-yard toss to Mustapha gave the Spartans a first-and-goal, and the senior added another rushing touchdown from 13 yards out with 15 seconds left before halftime to give the Spartans a 27-0 edge at the intermission.
South Warren senior Juwan Hill snagged an interception on the Lobos’ first drive of the second half, and Harrison made them pay for that mistake a few a plays later by running the ball 17 yards in to the end zone for his third score of the night.
The Lobos turned the football over once again as Rowdy Shea came up with an interception and returned it all the way to the Rocky Mountain 2-yard line. Harrison scored his fourth touchdown the very next play to give the Spartans a 40-0 lead with 6:14 to play in the third quarter.
South Warren continued to practice the method of turning defense into offense as sophomore Jason Putnam made a rather impressive one-handed touchdown grab in the left corner in the end zone just a couple plays after the Spartans recovered and returned a fumble inside the red zone to ultimately make the final score 46-0.
“(South Warren) is a darn good football team,” Rocky Mountain coach Mark Brook said. “They’re a team led with talented senior-laden kids. Our cap is totally off to them and their coach. That’s a good football team.”
Despite the seemingly lopsided score, Smith gave credit to the way that the Lobos fought.
“That was a challenging game,” Smith said. “I don’t think the score reflects the kind of team that is and the kind of challenge they presented (Friday night).”
The Lobos will return home to Colorado to host crosstown rival Poudre High on Friday night.
“It’s been a great trip,” Brook said. “The people of Kentucky have been fantastic, very hospitable and have bent over backwards to help us with this trip.”
Meanwhile South Warren will look to keep the momentum rolling as the Spartans travel to Class 5A, District Two rival Greenwood. The Spartans defeated the Gators by a score of 42-11 last season.
