Something had to give.
In the end, in the Dragons’ home game at War Memorial Field, Girard pulled away from Warren in a battle of 0-5 teams and won 21-7.
The young Dragons came out energized and took the lead just three and a half minutes into the game. Charlie Blum took the handoff and ran around right end for a 28-yard touchdown. They also scored an extra point to take a 7-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for Girard to answer, and the Yellow Jackets drove 70 yards to the 1-yard line, where QB Ryan St. Julians tucked in and scored. Girard missed the extra point kick, giving Warren a 7-6 lead heading into halftime.
The Dragons’ four-man team of Bloom, Aiden Corbett, Aiden Eagar, and quarterback Brady Sheene ran the ball well for 134 yards in the first half and had 28 rushing attempts to go with two passes. Ta.
Corbett, a freshman, gained 41 yards on 10 attempts in the first half, including two 12-yard runs.
Girard adjusted in the second half, holding the Dragons to 29 yards and five tackles for loss.
The tide changed dramatically late in the third quarter when Warren’s roughing the kicker penalty resulted in Girard’s missed 28-yard field goal becoming an automatic first down. St. Julian’s completed a 6-yard pass to James Kibe to give the Yellow Jackets their first lead. St. Julian’s then took a 14-7 lead on a two-point conversion by Mason Kalicki.
As the match progressed, Girard started to go downhill. Senior back Riley Horn only had three carries in the first half, but rushed 12 times for 123 yards. St. Julien added to Girard’s touchdown with his own 24-yard run at 9:27 of the fourth.
The Yellow Jackets had seven rushes of 10 yards or more in the second half.
“The kids played hard,” Warren coach Cody Bapp said. “We talked about adjustments at halftime, but we didn’t implement those adjustments. We have to finish. No one tells us how to do it, so we have to think for ourselves. We played free football, but we just didn’t play it for four quarters.”
Warren returns for Friday’s game against General McClain and eight days later hosts Oil City in a Saturday night game.
“I’m going to go into the meat grinder for the next few weeks, so I’ll watch the movie and start making it again,” Bapp added.