Veterans uses impressive recipe to put away Dublin

The Veterans Warhawks showed off their winning recipe Thursday against Dublin.

Plenty of Jeremy Horton. Mix in some other weapons and a stout defense and add even more Horton.

That worked out perfectly against the Fighting Irish as the Warhawks held on for a 21-14 win to improve to 1-1. Dublin is also 1-1.

Three who mattered

Horton: The senior wide receiver showed off his versatile talents, rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, catching eight passes for 76 yards and returning a kickoff 93 yards for another touchdown (although that one was called back because of a holding penalty).

Jarrod Johnson: The Veterans senior running back had 27 carries for 77 yards and a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Johnson ran hard all night as the Warriors pounded out 207 yards on 44 rushing attempts.

Leyton Pinckney: The Warhawks’ senior quarterback was efficient, completing 11-of-14 passes for 110 yards to give the offense a nice balance.

Turning point

Dublin grabbed the lead in the second quarter on a 96-yard pass from Rodriguez Martin to Tyler Strickland. But the Warhawks took the lead on a 4-yard Sebastian Verger run with 11 seconds left in the first half. That run capped a 14-play, 65-yard drive that included two fourth-down conversions. Veterans expanded its lead with an impressive 69-yard drive to start the second half, going up 14-6 on Johnson’s short scoring run.

Observations

Strong on defense: The Warhawks showcased their offensive weapons, for sure, but their defense was just as good, holding Dublin’s option attack to 90 yards rushing on 33 carries and the one long passing play. Veterans’ defense forced Dublin into eight negative rushing attempts.

All Horton, all the time: After Johnson’s score and a defensive stop, Veterans went to Horton three times, and he responded with plenty of help from the offensive line. The result was a three-play, 67-yard drive that included runs of 15, 30 and 22 yards for a 21-6 Veterans lead.

Putting it away: Senior Justin Stevens sealed the win with an interception with 2:33 left, and the Warhawks ran out the clock with three first downs.

Worth mentioning

Playing on half of the field: Every play in the first quarter was played on Dublin’s half of the field, but the game remained scoreless until the Irish’s long touchdown pass midway through the second quarter.

They said it

Bruce on the win: “It’s very important, very important. We work our tail off every week, and you’ve got to see some results for your work. Like I’ve said, we’re not the greatest bunch of athletes in the world, but dog gone, we’re a bunch of hard-nosed kids that will give you everything we’ve got.”

Horton on the Warhawks’ offense: “We finally started clicking. We can play like this every Friday, every Thursday. But I’m glad we clicked, and now it’s just time to build on.”

What’s next?

Veterans hosts Worth County on Sept. 1　

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Veterans uses impressive recipe to put away Dublin."