South Warren dominated last week in its season opener at Hopkinsville en route to a lopsided 49-17 win.
One week later – in their second game of the year – the Spartans performed just like they did in Week 1. Behind an all-around outing on both sides of the ball, South Warren dominated from start to finish and defeated Warren Central 39-22 on Saturday night in the second annual Citizens First Bowl at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
“I thought our starters came out and they did what they were supposed to do in this game,” South Warren coach Brandon Smith said. “I thought they came out and handled their business early. There were a couple hiccups here and there but for the most part I thought they did a good job.”
The Spartans, who are off to their sixth consecutive 2-0 start, jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead just over two minutes in after Clayton Bush fielded a Warren Central (0-2) punt and returned it 50 yards to the house.
By the end of the opening quarter, South Warren had built a 27-0 lead and later led 39-0 at halftime, never allowing the Dragons (0-2) to get into a consistent rhythm.
Thanks to building a lopsided advantage at the break, the Spartans were able to rest their starters in the second half and allow second stringers to earn valuable playing time.
“It was great,” senior quarterback Gavin Spurrier said of the win. “We had a great week practicing. We worked hard every day in practice and we focused. Saturday games are a little different, so we had to focus this morning at our walkthrough.
“We came out and played our game.”
Spurrier registered a perfect performance in the White and Black, completing 12-of-12 passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns – all of which came in the first half.
The quarterback said after the game that Smith challenged him prior to kickoff to not throw an incomplete pass and try and get the completion record.
“I said, ‘I’ll try my best.’ I went through my reads, my receivers ran great routes and the o-line blocked perfectly,” said Spurrier. “It was great.”
Alongside Spurrier, wide receiver Tanner Gallahair caught three receptions for 39 yards and a pair of TDs, while running back Cameron Harrison finished with 39 yards and a score on four carries.
South Warren – as it tends to do – got going early.
After Warren Central’s opening drive stalled and it had to punt, Bush fielded the kick and returned it 50 yards untouched down the left sideline to give the Spartans an early 7-0 lead.
Just a few minutes later, Harrison found the end zone on a three-yard run. Following gains of 15 of 21 yards, Harrison took the handoff from Spurrier and crossed the pylon to make it 14-0 at the 5:41 mark of the first.
“You really look for that – starting fast,” Smith said. “Playing clean with no penalties. You just try to look at it through an execution standpoint.”
MJ Boley recorded the third Spartan touchdown of the game on a 33-yard run near the end of the quarter. On just the first play of the drive, Boley broke loose up the middle to cap a quick 21-second series and push South Warren’s lead to 27-0.
“Man, I love ‘em all,” Spurrier said of his receivers. “Most of them I had last year, except for Tanner Gallahair – he’s a new kid. “I was a new kid two years ago, so I just feel what he’s feeling and I know what he’s going through. I have great receivers.
“It’s easy to throw completions when you’ve got great receivers, so I’m very fortunate.”
Caleb Lloyd’s 14-yard TD reception from Spurrier early in the second made it 33-0 before Spurrier later found Gallahair for a 20-yard strike that moved the scoreboard to 39-0.
Warren Central finally found an answer near the end of the third, scoring on a one-yard TD run from Xavier Patrick-Brown. Patrick-Brown stepped up again in the ensuing period and reeled in a X-yard reception from Xavier Ingram to cut the Dragons’ deficit to 39-15 with 4:59 left.
Although Warren Central scored once more and strung together some offense late to get within 39-22, it wasn’t enough for a comeback.
South Warren returns to action next Friday at 7 p.m. in a road contest at Franklin-Simpson. The Spartans won last season’s meeting 36-7 over the Wildcats. Warren Central travels to Monroe County next week for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
“I mean, that’s always a battle,” said Smith of next week’s matchup. “Looking at their scores, it seems like they’re the real deal this year so we’re going to have our work cut out for us for sure.”
