White County Goes on the Road, Knocks Off Tullahoma 27-10

TULLAHOMA, Tenn. — Four weeks into the season, the White County Warriors have yet to find a team capable of putting a loss on their record.

White County went on the road Friday night and came away with a 27-10 victory over Tullahoma, improving to a perfect 4-0 heading into region play.

It wasn’t a spotless performance from the Warriors. White County turned the football over three times, had stretches where the offense stalled and threw a pair of interceptions. But the Warriors countered those mistakes by creating four Tullahoma turnovers, converting key third downs and producing enough explosive plays to control the game.

And the first explosive play came immediately.

JoJo Dowell took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, giving White County a 7-0 lead before its offense ever took the field.

Tullahoma answered with a touchdown to even things at 7-7, but White County didn’t allow the Wildcats to build on that momentum.

Quarterback Tucker Pinion put the Warriors back in front with a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. White County then delivered another big strike through the air when Cole Sims turned a reception into a 50-yard touchdown, helping send the Warriors into halftime with a 20-10 advantage after Tullahoma added a 37-yard field goal.

The first half provided the scoring. The second half became a test of which team could survive its mistakes.

Neither offense consistently found its rhythm after the break. Turnovers, fourth-down stops and a missed field goal kept the game disjointed, but White County’s defense continued to come up with answers.

Tullahoma never scored in the second half.

The Warriors eventually put together the one sustained scoring drive they needed, with Sims finishing it on a 2-yard touchdown run. It was his eighth rushing touchdown of the season and extended the advantage to the eventual final margin of 27-10.

White County finished with 280 yards of total offense, showing good balance with 162 yards passing and 118 rushing.

Pinion completed 8 of 16 passes and added 23 yards on the ground, although Tullahoma intercepted him twice. Sims was again a major part of the Warriors’ attack, carrying 14 times for 45 yards while adding 50 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Tate Pinion added 45 rushing yards on seven attempts, while Bryson Hogg caught two passes for 52 yards.

One of the more important numbers for White County came on third down. The Warriors converted 5 of 9 third-down opportunities, allowing them to extend drives despite going just 1-for-3 on fourth down.

Tullahoma actually finished close to White County in total yardage, producing 236 yards — 155 through the air and 81 on the ground — but the Wildcats couldn’t turn enough of those yards into points.

White County’s defense forced four turnovers and limited Tullahoma to just 3-of-11 on third down. The Wildcats converted two of their four fourth-down attempts.

Those numbers tell much of the story.

White County committed three turnovers of its own, but the Warriors won the turnover battle 4-3, were substantially better on third down and didn’t surrender a single point after halftime.

The road win completes a perfect 4-0 run through the opening portion of the schedule.

Now the stakes increase.

White County returns to Warrior Stadium next Friday night, where the Warriors will open region play against the Livingston Academy Wildcats (3-1).

The Warriors have taken care of everything in front of them so far.

Now, at 4-0, the race for the region begins.

MOUNTAIN BARN BUILDERS PRIME TIME PERFORMER

JoJo Dowell — White County

Dowell didn’t wait around to make an impact. His opening kickoff return for a touchdown gave White County an immediate 7-0 advantage and provided the first big play in another Warriors victory.

For setting the tone from the opening kick, JoJo Dowell is the Mountain Barn Builders Prime Time Performer of the Game.

FINAL: WHITE COUNTY 27, TULLAHOMA 10

White County: 4-0 | Tullahoma: 1-3

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