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Warren blanked by Union Local, 34-0

By Kerry Patrick 5 min read

VINCENT - Potential scoring drives negated by a host of penalties, particularly in the first quarter, will be the point of emphasis as Warren attempts to rebound from Friday's season-opening 34-0 loss to Union Local.

Seven penalties on their first two drives set the tone for a Warrior outfit which returns home in Week 2 against Morgan.

"This week, our point of emphasis is don't beat yourself," Warren coach Jason Gandee said. "I told the kids, if the other team beats us that's cool, but let's not do things to beat ourselves. I said, they are going to make physical mistakes. I can live with that, but let's not beat ourselves."

Defensively, Warren was unable to put together stops against a Union Local team which is seeking to put together at least one postseason win for the third straight season. Over 60 years of football for the Jets, the program owns a grand total of three playoff wins entering the 2026 season.

"Warren is a good team and well-coached - I thought we were a little sloppy in some areas," Union Local coach Bernie Thompson said. "I think we need to fix some things up front. However, I was pleased with our four quarters."

Once Union Local's offense took the field for the first, each of the first three first-half drives resulted in touchdowns. Leading 21-0 at halftime, the Jets resumed where they left off and scored on their only two drives of the third quarter.

The entire fourth quarter was played under a running clock.

Warren did not have an answer for senior running back Brody Perzanowski, who rushed 17 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

"Their running back is an All-Ohio kid for a reason," Gandee said. "He is a good player. He is probably going to be All-Ohio again."

After Warren's opening drive stalled at its own 29, Union Local strung together 72 yards over eight plays with Kolten Snyder getting the final two carries for four yards, including a 1-yard dive to put the Jerts in front 7-0 at the 5:11 mark of the first quarter.

On their second opportunity, Warren's offense entered Union Local territory when quarterback Braylen Murray was tackled for a 3-yard loss but taken down by a facemask. The penalty on Union Local left the ball first-and-10 at the Jets' 32.

A couple of penalties on the next set of downs pushed the Warren drive backwards. The Warriors lost four yards on fourth-and-4, which set up Union Local's scoring drive - one covering nine plays and 66 yards. On first-and-goal, Perzanowski bullied his way up the middle for a 9-yard TD run.

With 7:32 remaining and the Jets now in front 14-0, another scoring drive developed after Warren went three-and-out. From the Warren 16, sophomore quarterback Evan Poziviak found Brody Kerns leaping over a Warren defender in the end zone for a 16-yard TD reception.

Poviviak ended the night completing 11-of-17 passes for 114 yards.

"(Poziviak) throws a good ball - we have a ton of faith in Evan," Thompson said. "We have two quarterbacks who have been competing in camp and we are pleased with both of them."

Perzanowski's second TD run, this one from three yards, capped off the opening drive of the second half. The Jets' capped off the scoring just as time expired in the third quarter. Kolten Snyder from two yards out.

Coach Gandee took the onus for this loss.

"Well, I learned I'm not a very good coach - I didn't have the kids ready to play," Gandee said. "We didn't have them ready to go and it showed. We had several opportunities to score points and didn't do it.

"We are young and inexperienced. We have to be more fundamentally sound. We are playing freshmen and sophomores (on defense)."

Despite being limited to 24 yards on the ground and 59 yards through the air, Murray provided his share of fireworks in the fourth quarter. After Union Local's final touchdown, he returned a kickoff in what appeared to be at first glance a touchdown. However, a holding call at midfield negated the six points.

Moments later, he nearly returned a punt for a touchdown.

Of Murray's eight completions, he found Jayce Hilveding six times for 32 yards.

"Braylen Murray is a gamer - he is a good player," Gandee said. "The least of my concerns is Braley Murray. I'm proud of the way he played. The thing about him, he was here all summer, so he is in good shape.

"I don't know Braylen was breathing that hard after those special teams plays. The other kids need to take a cue from him and how serious they take conditioning. He played almost every snap, and I didn't see him cramp."

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com

Union Local 34, Warren 0

Union Local (1-0) 7 14 13 0 - 34

Warren (0-1) 0 0 0 0 - 0

First Quarter

UL: Kolten Snyder 1 run (Jeff Bolon kick), 5:11

Second Quarter

UL: Brody Perzanowski 9 run (Bolon kick), 7:32

UL: Brody Kerns 16 pass from Evan Poziviak (Bolon kick), 4:02

Third Quarter

UL: Perzanowski 3 run (Bolon kick), 6:59

UL: Kolten Snyder 2 run (pass failed), 0:00

Team Stats

Union Local: First downs: 15. Rushing yards: 29-165. Passing yards: 114. Total yards: 279. Passing: 11-17-0. Penalties: 9-70

Warren: First downs: 8. Rushing yards: 23-75. Passing yards: 59. Total yards: 134. Passing: 8-17-0. Penalties: 9-60.

Individual Stats

Union Local: Rushing: Brody Perzanowski 17-133, Kolten Snyder 6-15, Ethan Meyer 6-15, Ethan Meyer 2-9, Caden Price 2-5, Evan Poziviak 2-3. Passing: Poziviak 11-17-0, 114 yards, 1 TD. Receivers: Brody Perzanowski 3-22, Eli Rogers 3-25, Brody Kerns 1-16, Karson Grigaitis 1-12, Kolten Snyder 1-4.

Warren: Rushing: Connor Moore 5-28, Braylen Murray 12-24, Wesley Sealey 6-23. Passing: Murray 8-17-0, 59 yards. Receiving: Jayce Hilverding 6-48, Jaxon Venham 1-7, Moore 1-6.

Next game: Morgan at Warren, 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 28; Union Local at St. Clairsville, 7 p.m. Friday, Aug, 28

Starting at /week.