Warriors handle Knights

After opening the season with a 35-point first quarter explosion last week against Waynesboro, Western Albemarle took a little longer getting started Friday night against visiting Turner Ashby. The end-result was the same, however, as the Warriors won 23-9 in a physical game.

Following Western quarterback Stephen Schuler’s first touchdown pass of the game, the T.A. defense stiffened and forced the Warriors into a safety on their next possession.

“[Turner Ashby] is a very good football team,” said Western coach Ed Pierce, “they’re well-coached, they’re big, they’re fast … we were very happy to get the win tonight.”

On the other side, the Warriors were tested early defensively by three Turner Ashby drives in Western territory. Each time, the Warriors defense responded and held the Knights scoreless on offense throughout much of the game. 

“I can’t say enough about this defense,” stated coach Pierce, “They just would not quit … they aren’t the biggest defense, but I tell you what, they’ve got a lot of fight.”

The score remained 6-2 until Schuler once again connected with fellow senior Dom Losco for a 70-yard touchdown strike with 1:48 left in the first half. The long pass play was aided by a bone-crushing block from Western senior Tyler Ward, who sprang Losco for the last 35 yards.

“He’s a great athlete,” said Schuler of Losco, “All I did was throw it eight yards down the field, Dom made a play and Tyler threw a huge block… it’s great to watch [them] get some yards for me.”

Schuler would end the game with 223 yards passing and three touchdowns on just 12 attempts.

“[Stephen Schuler] does everything you could ask a quarterback, or even a football player to do,” said coach Pierce of his signal-caller. “He competes, he’s smart, he’s tough, he makes great plays … you cannot ask anybody to do anything more than he did tonight.”

After the defense held the Knights to a three-and-out, Schuler was sharp in leading his team down the field with under a minute left in the first half.

Following a 28-yard diving grab by Nick Kuzhak, Losco added a field goal, making the score 16-2 at the half.

The Warriors defense started the second half much like they started the first as they forced the Knights into a fumble on their first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

Immediately following, Schuler found Christophe Drapanas streaking down the left side for a 43-yard touchdown pass to push the Western lead to 21 with under 10 minutes remaining in the third period.

The Knights were finally able to put together a solid offensive drive, taking the to the Western 5-yard line in the final minutes of the third quarter. The Warriors’ defense responded one more time, however, as they snuffed out the Turner Ashby’s fourth down attempt and seized the momentum for the rest of the game. 

The Knights would add a touchdown from fullback Chandler Knight with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter to make the final score 23-9.

Up next for the Warriors is a visit to cross-town rival Albemarle, which fell to Monticello on Friday night.