Warren invades Morgan on Raiders’ new field
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McCONNELSVILLE -- Friday night will be a special one for the Morgan Raiders as they are set to play the first game in their brand new facility.
The Warren Warriors will be looking to spoil the evening as they invade McConnelsville for a 7 p.m. kickoff in a battle of 1-0 squads.
"The kids are really excited about it," Morgan head coach Chase Bowman said before the season.
"To be able to have your locker room, weight room, practice field and game field all right there in the same place, that's nice. The kids like being out there and having a place they can call home. Don't get me wrong, we loved the Athletic Field on Friday nights, but that was only our home on Friday nights. This is their home every day of the week. I think they take a lot of pride in what we have now. We feel like we have one of the nicer facilities in the area. Our job now is to put a good product on the field and get some wins on that field."
Last year, the two teams met in Vincent for a week two showdown, with Morgan claiming a hard-fought 28-24 victory.
"Last year we got in a dogfight with them and I don't really expect anything different this year," said Warren head coach Jimmy Peyton, whose Warriors defeated Belpre 66-6 last week. "Morgan is good. They've got a really good quarterback, good running backs and good receivers. They've got kids who can play and kids who will hit and be physical."
In his first varsity game at quarterback, Warren junior Jacob Sealey had a big performance in week one, completing 10 of 12 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns to one interception. He also rushed five times for 78 yards and a score.
"Jake, being his first game, played really well," Peyton said. "Jake's a competitor. He's always going to be prepared. He just puts himself in situations to succeed. That's the type of leader he is. We expected him to have a good night."
With starting running back Landon Fairbanks out week one, Eric Carr stepped up and carried the load by turning 13 carries into 208 yards and four touchdowns. Tanner Pepper had a big night receiving with 130 yards and two TDs on seven receptions.
"Tanner was able to get some touches, and it was good to see Eric Carr come out and be able to have a good night in his first time being our starting tailback. I was pleased with the way our guys were able to compete. We walked away from that and felt like we got better."
Landyn Summers led Warren with 11 tackles, including 3 1/2 for loss. Aden Strahler added three TFLs and a sack, while Nick Cressey and Carson Gandee both had interceptions. Cressey's pick was the 10th of his career which tied him for second all-time in program history. His next INT will tie him for the school record.
"We worked hard in the offseason and we were looking forward to getting that first win under our belt," Peyton said. "We wanted to see some of the things we worked on in the offseason. We're hoping to be a little better at certain things in year two."
Now, the Warriors are focused on a tough week two challenge.
"This week will be a huge test for us," Peyton said. "We were able to get by Belpre, and we're looking forward to playing Morgan this week."
The Raiders are led by the quarterback-receiver duo of Logan Niceswanger and Kole Searl. In the Raiders' 52-0 win over River View in week one, Niceswanger completed 5 of 8 passes for 137 yards and four touchdowns. Seal caught two passes for 59 yards, including a 29-yard TD. William Dodd led a balanced rushing attack with 76 yards and a touchdown.
"(Morgan head coach Chase Bowman) has done a good job with them up there," Peyton said. We've got to respect the fact that they've got it going. We're prepared to go in there. It's going to be an exciting atmosphere. There's going to be a lot of people out to see the new field and watch this game. We want to play in big games and exciting atmospheres. That's what Ohio high school football is all about."
Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.