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CLASH BETWEEN STATES-WILLIAMSTOWN AT WARREN: Moore success

’Jacket rusher’s big night helps road team to W

Photo by Neal Smith Williamstown’s Ty Moore celebrates a run into the end zone, while Warren’s Joel Chevalier misses a tackle attempt during the Yellowjackets’ 33-27 win Friday night in Vincent. Moore finished the night with four touchdowns and 264 rushing yards.

VINCENT — It all came down to one play.

Eighteen yards from the end zone with 20 seconds remaining and down six, Warren quarterback Kurt Taylor rolled to his right. With pressure in his face, Taylor fired to the end zone. Williamstown’s Kole Sutton tipped the ball up and teammate Logan Richards snagged it, cradling the ball as he fell to the ground to secure a 33-27 win for the Yellowjackets Friday night.

The Warriors (4-3) led 17-13 going into the fourth quarter before Williamstown running back Ty Moore exploded for touchdown runs of 57, 74 and 34 yards to give the visitors a 33-20 lead with 3:54 left on the clock.

Taylor, who finished 26 for 47 for 293 yards, two touchdowns and two picks, connected with Josh Welch for a 14-yard touchdown to get the Warriors within six with 1:55 left.

Warren forced a three-and-out on Williamstown’s next possession and got the ball back with 1:17 left and no timeouts to work with. Taylor engineered the drive all the way down to Williamstown’s 18-yard line, converting a fourth-and-20 with a 39-yard pass to Brandon Simoniette to keep hope alive. Williamstown, though, came up with the defensive play of the game.

“They played super,” Williamstown head coach Terry Smith said of Warren. “Their quarterback played terrific. We slowed the run down pretty good and we were able to run the ball. It’s crazy because you hear people talk about, ‘You got to be able to run the ball and stop the run.’ That’s what happened tonight.”

Moore finished with 264 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns, including a 10-yarder to open the scoring that was set up by Sutton’s interception.

Warren’s Evan Gandee answered on the ensuing kickoff with an 85-yard TD return to tie things up.

The two teams traded field goals the rest of the half, with Williamstown’s Josh Erb nailing a pair of 20-yarders and Warren’s Joel Chevalier booting a 38-yarder to make it 13-10, Williamstown, at halftime.

Gandee, who caught 13 passes for 141 yards, hauled in an 11-yard touchdown on a fade from Taylor in the third quarter to put the Warriors up 17-13. Simoniette also had a big day receiving for Warren, nabbing 11 receptions for 149 yards.

That’s when Moore took over for the Yellowjackets, bursting through holes and out-running a banged up Warren defense.

“Super proud of our kids’ efforts,” said Warren head coach Matt Kimes. “So many times they could’ve just stopped playing. We told them, ‘One play isn’t going to decide this game.'”

Moore’s first two touchdowns in the fourth quarter came within a minute of each other, the second coming after the Yellowjackets forced and recovered a Warren fumble.

Chevalier made it a one-score game when he drilled a 37-yard field goal at the 6:39 mark, but once again the ‘Jackets answered, this time with a six-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in Moore’s fourth score of the night.

“That’s a good football team we just played,” Kimes said. “They took advantage of opportunities and made a couple more plays than we did.”

That’s when Warren started its rally that ultimately fell short.

Of Warren’s final drive, Smith said “We had to get some pressure. When we did, (Taylor) was all over the place and extending plays. When he extended the plays, he made some super plays. They could’ve won it right there (at the end), but that’s the way it goes sometimes. We’re glad we won.”

Added Kimes, “We practice that all the time. Two-minute drill, we do it every Thursday.

“(Taylor’s) trying to make a play. In that situation, that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to try and force it a little bit. If the ball gets tipped and we catch it … hopefully these kids realize we’ve made tremendous strides as a program. They’ve set the foundation for it.”

Williamstown totaled 464 yards of offense, 394 coming on the ground. Warren finished with 346 total yards, with 302 of those coming through the air.

Jordan Holland can be reached at jholland@mariettatimes.com.

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