EC had an opportunity to win a heavy-handed victory in the beginning of Saturday’s game against Compton. However, the Tartars turned out to be more trouble than they seemed and the Warriors allowed them to hang on.
Consequently, the Warriors held on for a 39-27 victory, upgrading their record to 3-0.
The Warriors go on the road to play Bakersfield on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“It wasn’t a pretty win, but a good, solid win,” coach John Featherstone said.
EC came out strong in the first quarter, scoring the initial touchdown and a safety by Dionte Brooks, EC linebacker.
Brooks continued to perform in peak condition with six tackles, a sack, and an interception.
Most of the offensive yardage was gained on the ground.
The Warriors ran for 207 yards, while Compton ran for 137 yards.
Isaac Williams led EC’s rushing attack with eight carries for 81 yards and three touchdowns.
Jimmy Coy, Warrior quarterback completed eight of 19 pass attempts for a 42 percent completion rate.
Coy gained 141 yards through the air without throwing a touchdown or an interception.
Mark Slorp, Tartar quarterback completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts, gaining 82 yards while throwing one touchdown and one interception.
At the end of the first quarter, EC was up 24-0.
This did not last; midway through the third quarter the Tartars scored three unanswered touchdowns to make the score 24-21.
The game did not end without a slew of penalties on the Warriors part, including a false start, holding, and unsportsmanlike conduct.
Penalties were problematic for EC throughout the game.
“We had a chance to knock them out early and we didn’t take advantage of it,” Featherstone said.
The Tartars came into the game 1-1 and the Warriors may have underestimated their opponent during the practice week.
“We were hearing too much about them and we were not really focusing on them, so we took it kind of lightly, but this week is a big week,” Daniel Stewart, EC defensive end said.
Stewart led the defense with nine total tackles, as the Warriors held Compton to 295 total yards.
Ray Chapman, EC defensive back and Brooks both recorded interceptions against the Tartars,
Paul Dancy, EC defensive end, and Tim High, EC defensive tackle, each recorded a quarterback sack, as Compton quarterbacks were sacked three times.
This week will be tense going into the game against Bakersfield.
Two years ago, during the Warriors’ state championship season, EC defeated Bakersfield in overtime 23-20 for the Southern California championship.
Last season, Bakersfield came back for revenge to beat EC 33-31 on the final play of the game.
“The last two times we’ve been up there it has come down to the last play,” Featherstone said. “We know we’re in for a fourth-quarter dogfight. We’re just going to try to come out and win our fourth game.”
Bakersfield came into the season as one of the top 20 ranked teams in the country, but the Renegades have lost two of their first three games.
In Bakersfield’s first game, the Renegades lost to Fresno in the “Battle of the Valley”, 31-25.
The next week, the Renegades lost to L.A. Valley, 17-13, but overpowered Santa Monica 60-14 on Saturday.
This week the Warriors know they have to do well in practice to beat Bakersfield.
“You win games not on Saturday, but Monday through Friday,” Williams said. “That is how you win the game.”
