September 25, 2010

By Kip Ritenour

WINCHESTER- The disappointing look on James Wood football coach Mike Bolin's face as he slumped down into his office chair was more than any amount of words could describe.

Bolin's Colonels had just come off the field from a 19-0 loss to visiting Warren County, a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated.

The Wildcats (4-0) dominated both sides of the ball, holding the Colonels (2-2) to just 125 yards of total offense.

"I really don't have much to say," Bolin said as he ran he fingers through his hair and let out a deep sigh. "It's been a long time since we've been on the end of one of these."

The win was Warren County's first over the Colonels since 2005. (The Wildcats now trail the all-time series 19-18.)

"I happy for the kids, and I'm not going to say this isn't a big win, because it is," Wildcats coach Tony Tallent said. "But we've worked hard for this. This was our best defensive effort of the year by far."

The Wildcats looked fresh and energized after a bye week, while the Colonels were busy trying to fill some key losses due to injury, particularly at quarterback, where starter Matt Copley didn't play after getting hurt in last week's last-minute loss to Hedgesville (W.Va.). "I'm not going to blame the injuries," Bolin said. "We just didn't block or tackle people very well."

Particularly Warren County running back Gage Steele.

Steele ran tough between the tackles and also punished James Wood's ball carriers from his inside linebacker slot.

"He's good," Bolin said of the junior. "He's an excellent running back. It's rare to have one that can run fast and lower the shoulder and run over people. Warren should feed him the ball all year long."

Steele came into the game with 537 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, and he proved to the Wood defense that he was the real deal on the Wildcats' first possession.

After Wood won the toss and deferred to the second half, Steele led Warren County on a nine-play, 67-yard drive, as he gained 35 yards on five carries.

On a 1st-and-goal from the 8 after a Steele 12-yard gallop on a 3rd-and-three, Damien Caison barreled in around the right side to put the Wildcats up 6-0.

"We're going to come after you and try and punch it down your throat," said Steele, who led all rushers with 91 yards on 20 carries. "We knew this would be a physical game because James Wood is a physical team. We knew we had to out-hit them and out-hustle them and I think we did that tonight."

The Colonels' first possession ended on an interception at midfield, as Warren County safety Jeremy Vogt picked off Jake Lewin's pass to set the Wildcats up in good field position.

Nine plays later, Steele bolted in from the 2 to put the Wildcats up 13-0.

James Wood continued to struggle against the Warren County defense in the second quarter and appeared to be stopped on a quarterback sack on third down. But the Wildcats were whistled for grabbing the face mask, giving the Colonels their initial first down of the game.

The Colonels advanced to the Warren 29, but a quarterback draw by Lewin on 4th-and-six lost a yard, as Steele burst through to end the threat.

Warren County then put together an impressive 17-play, 70-yard drive to take a 19-0 lead.

On a 3rd-and-goal from the 7, sophomore quarterback Tyler Post hit Caison on a curl route in the end zone with 10 seconds left in the half.

"Our offensive line changed things tonight," Caison said. "They gave us some big holes. We knew if we wanted to beat Wood we had to be more physical than them."

Neither team managed a significant scoring threat in the second half, as the Wildcats' defense kept the Colonels bottled up.

"We're going to hang our hat on being a physical team this year," Tallent said. "I know they were missing some key guys tonight, but we did what we needed to do on offense and defense."

The Colonels will need to spend the next week healing up and regrouping before a trip to Brentsville next Friday.

"I told the players we have only one option," Bolin said. "We have got to get better - all of us. The coaches and the players."