Staff writer
The Peabody-Burns Warriors’ first game of the season against the Goessel Bluebirds on Friday was off to a shaky start, but a Warriors comeback in the second half helped them win the game 42-36.
By the end of the first quarter, Goessel led 14-0. However, it was a touchdown by Clayton Philpott with 8 seconds left in the first half that helped pump the Warriors up for the second half.
The Warriors and the Bluebirds alternated with touchdowns throughout the second half. In the closing minutes, the score was tied 36-36.
Philpott managed to run in his sixth touchdown of the game from five yards out as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Austin Reynolds led the Warriors with a total of nine tackles. Markus Knight followed with seven, and both Philpott and Tony Adams had five.
Philpott starred with 230 yards rushing on the game and six touchdowns, Knight had 18 yards rushing, Reynolds had 42 yards rushing, and Corbin Rives had 12 yards rushing.
Peabody-Burns head coach David Pickens was proud of his team, but felt that having a group of new starters dampened their playing in the first half.
“Basically how I characterize the game last night is a lot of inexperience,” Pickens said. “We started many brand new starters, and the inexperience showed in the first half.
“They were able to pull it together in the second half and fix mistakes we made in the first. They showed a lot of heart and we came around to win the game.”
Pickens felt that, even though the first half of the game was a struggle for Peabody-Burns, Goessel was a worthy opponent and showed its talents well.
“I think Goessel is a great football team,” Pickens said. “They’re going to win a lot of games.”