Staff writer
Peabody-Burns Warrior football came back from a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter Friday to defeat Canton-Galva 50-20. The team is now 4-0 with a trip to Centre on Friday.
“The athletes in the PBHS uniforms did not quit,” head coach David Pickens said after the homecoming victory. “They dug in their heels and overcame early mistakes that took away points.
“We knew Canton-Galva had a lot of weapons,” he said. “They had some size and speed that we had not faced yet this season. It took discipline to not let the early minutes dictate the rest of the contest. While the score may not reflect it, this was a defensive battle the Warriors won.”
Warrior defense did the job on the first series of the game. Stops by Kyle Seeney, Clayton Philpott, Fred Winsor, Braxton Kyle, Kiefer Larsen, and Kevin Baatrup held the Eagles to 17 yards and forced a punt on fourth and 18 at the Eagle 32-yard line.
Warrior offense gained one yard on its opening offensive showing in the contest. Kyle punted on fourth down.
The Canton-Galva passing game found rhythm and moved the ball from the Eagle 23 to a first and 10 at the Warrior 11. An 11-yard run put the Eagles on the scoreboard with 7:05 left in the first. They added 2 on a conversion run and led the Warriors 8-0.
The next Warrior series began with a kick-off return by Winsor. Kyle, Winsor, and Philpott all touched the ball on the drive. However, on second-and-goal at the one, a Warrior fumble was recovered by Canton-Galva.
Even though the Eagles were pinned deep in their own territory, they managed to get the ball out to the 26-yard line. Canton-Galva added another score on a short pass that was carried 54 yards to the end zone. The conversion pass failed but PBHS trailed 14-0 with less than two minutes left in the quarter.
Early in the second quarter, the Warrior offense started at its own 7-yard line. Seeney gained 5 on first down. Winsor took the ball on the next play and rushed 67 yards through the middle of the defense to the right side of the end zone. Winsor caught a Kyle pass to add the conversion. The Warriors cut the margin to 14-8 with 9:49 left in the period.
Warrior defensive plays from Kyle, Xavier Jabary, Baatrup, and Philpott held Canton-Galva to negative yards on the next drive. The Eagles punted.
Winsor and Seeney combined for yardage on the next drive that started at the Warrior 26. An Eagle personal foul gave the Warriors a first-and-10 at the Canton-Galva 33. However, a fumble gave the ball back to the Eagle offense at their own 26.
Two plays later, Canton-Galva added another score on a 52 yard carry. The conversion pass fell incomplete, but the Warriors were down 20-8 with 7:20 left in the second quarter.
Winsor took the ensuing kickoff, started to the right of the coverage, but reversed field to get to the Eagle 19-yard line. Three downs later, Seeney caught a Kyle pass in the end zone for the score. The conversion run seemed to be stopped until Kyle handed off to Jabary. He found the left corner for the 2-point score. With 6:26 in the second, PBHS trailed only by 4, 20-16.
Warrior defense held through two series with plays by Kyle, Winsor, Jabary, and Philpott.
At the four-minute mark, PBHS started a drive at the Warrior 13 that included Seeney, Winsor, and Kyle for ground yards.
On first-and-10 at the Eagle 26, Winsor bounced through the middle to the left for the touchdown. Kyle added the 2-point run. With 1:59 left in the half, the Warriors had the first lead of the contest.
Warrior offense returned back to the field seconds later when an Eagle pass was tipped and snagged by Baatrup at the Eagle 24. On second-and-11, Seeney moved the ball to the Eagle 16. Winsor took the ball on third-and-16 yards for 6 points. The conversion run failed, but PBHS had the 30-20 lead with 45 seconds left in the half.
Canton-Galva offense covered 58 yards in two plays to set up first-and-goal at the Warrior 2. A first down keeper by the QB seemed good but the Warrior defense forced a fumble that was recovered by Vince Newman in the end zone.
Tough defense from both squads held the third quarter scoreless until PBHS put together a drive that started with a 14-yard run by Seeney from the Warrior 2. Winsor moved the sticks to the 30. Kyle added 3 on a second and 10 keeper. Kyle found Baatrup on third-and-7 with a 47-yard pass completion to the end zone. The conversion pass was unsuccessful but PBHS led 36-20 with 4:52 on the clock.
Late in the third, Winsor added another score from the Warrior 17. No conversion was added. PBHS had the 42-20 edge with less than a minute left in the quarter. The Warrior defense ended the period with a sack of the Eagle quarterback by Kaden Gibson.
The Warrior defense continued to push the Eagles when a series later, the snap on a fourth and 10 punt sailed over the head of the punter. PBHS added 2 on a safety, 44-20.
With four minutes left in the game, the Warrior defense once again disrupted Eagle forward progress. Newman added a sack to his defensive stats. Winsor stripped the ball and Baatrup recovered to set up PBHS offense at the Warrior 21.
Winsor gained 9 on first down. Philpott took the ball on second down and rushed 50 yards for the score. No conversion points were added, but the Warriors led 50-20 with 2:30 left in the ballgame.
The Warrior defense did not let the Eagles move on their last drive of the contest.
The Warrior offense ran out the final 51 seconds for the 50-20 victory over the Eagles.
Kyle was 5 for 7 in the passing game for 92 yards. He rushed 15 times for 15 yards. Winsor rushed 19 times for 254 yards and 4 scores. He caught 2 passes for 12 yards. Seeney ran 18 times for 86 yards and caught one pass for 22 yards and one score. Baatrup caught 2 passes for 58 yards and a score. Philpott had 5 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. Jabary had 1 carry for 3 yards.
Jabary led the defense with 7 tackles. Kyle followed with 6. Winsor had 4 stops and Larsen added 3. Seeney, Newman and Philpott each had 2. Gibson, Baatrup and Dakota Reynolds each recorded 1.
Junior high football
Peabody-Burns Middle School Junior Warriors were defeated Thursday at Wakefield. The team lost 14-0 and is now 0-3 for the season.
Up next, Junior Warrior football will travel to Hope for a matchup against Rural Vista.