Warriors Prove Too Much For Mercer

Sam Warren
Herald Staff
sports@harrodsburgherald.com

Mercer County Titan football (4-1) stood no chance against the physi­cal run game of the visiting Southwestern Warriors (2-2) this past Friday, Sept. 15. The Warriors amassed 526 total yards during Friday’s game.

Southwestern set the tone from the opening kickoff as Kaeden Flores received the ball at the 34-yard line in a full sp1int and drug four Mercer County would-be tacklers all the way to the Titan 47-yard line.
It didn’t matter who Southwestern quarterback Collin Burton handed the ball to, they ran hard and down­hill. Caden Cunnagin got the Warrior offense rolling with a 24-yard pickup straight through the Titan defense, setting up the Warriors with a first down on the Titan 14-yard line. On the follow­ing play, Christian Walden took the handoff and had the ball poked out as he was being tackled. Thaddeus Mays recovered what could have been a huge stop for the Titan defense.

Just two plays later, sophomore wideout Ashton Drakeford was stripped just before his knee came down, giving the Warriors a first and ten on the Titan 20-yard line. Later on third and five from the 14-yard line, Cunnigan took the snap and busted through four Mercer County defenders before falling for­ward for the first down. One play later Burton gave a mis­directed handoff to Braxton Walters who made his way into the endzone.

The Titans showed prom­ise on their second offen­sive drive. Denim Griffieth carried tacklers forward for a pick up of six and Mays found Landon Yates open in midfield for a 18-yard pick up. Two plays later Mays faked the handoff to Griffieth and found a hole, sprinting through the middle of the field and picking up 30 yards before having the ball stripped and recovered by Southwestern’s Owen Campbell. The Titans’ most explosive play of the night ended in a fumble.