Warriors defeat the DASCHE Spartans at Homecoming 2022
The Warriors won their homecoming game on Friday, October 21, 2022, beating the DASCHE Spartans 28-6. The game was close during the first half of the game, but the Warriors scored 21 unanswered points in the second half. The defense forced three turnovers and only allowed one touchdown. The offense was outstanding in the run game, rushing for a total of 234 total yards. They also completed several key passes, including two touchdown receptions.
In the first quarter, the Warriors played three series on offense and four on defense. The game started with K/WR Ethan Rice kicking off to the Spartans’ 15 yard line. Two incomplete passes, a run for no gain, and a penalty kept the Spartans from advancing any farther. They punted from their 10 yard line. RB/CB Daniel Abraham caught the punt and broke at least three tackles as he returned the ball to the 11 yard line. RB/OLB Conner Burke ran for 8 yards on first down and then scored a 3 yard rushing touchdown. Ethan Rice’s extra point was good and the Warriors were ahead 7-0 with 10:19 left in the first quarter. Ethan’s kickoff was a touchback and the Spartan offense took the field again. They rushed four straight times and only gained 5 yards. A turnover on downs gave the Warrior offense the ball at their 30 yard line. A 5 yard run by QB Drew Harrison gained the only positive yardage on the four play drive. The Warriors attempted a field goal from the 25 yard line but it was no good. The Spartans went three and out thanks to the Warrior run defense and punted. It was downed at the Warrior 32 yard line. On this drive, Conner Burke had three carries for 29 yards and Daniel Abraham had a 17 yard run. Their contribution to the rushing attack was negated by two penalties on the Warriors. On second and goal at the Spartan 5 yard line, they fumbled and the opponent took possession. They had time for three plays before the first quarter ended. The Warriors were ahead 7-0.
In the second quarter, the Warrior offense was on the field for two series and the defense played three. The Spartan offensive drive continued with a 52 yard pass that gave them a first down at the Warrior 33 yard line. The red zone defense showed up with a stop by Conner Burke on 4th and goal at the 6 yard line. The Warrior offense had the ball deep in their own territory. A total of 20 yards on three carries by Conner Burke brought the ball to the Warrior 21 yard line. The run game stalled after that and the Warriors punted from their 28 yard line to the Spartan 38 yard line. The Spartans’ series on offense lasted for 10 plays. The defense gave up a 13 yard run and several long passes that brought the ball to the Warrior 7 yard line. NG/DT/FB Joe Cassidy sacked the quarterback at the 7 yard line, but the Spartans completed a touchdown pass a few plays later. They tried a two point conversion, but CB/RB Anthony Carias kept the runner out of the end zone. The score was 7-6 with 4:50 left in the second quarter. The Spartans kickoff was a touchback. Daniel Abraham had a 16 yard run to start the drive but after that, the Warriors weren’t able to get a first down. Ethan Rice punted and it went out of bounds at the Spartans’ 47 yard line. Their offensive drive lasted for 15 plays and began with a 13 yard pass. OLB/LT Reagan Zbylot and Daniel Abraham had back to back pass breakups, which put the Spartans at 3rd and 10 at their 40 yard line. They were able to convert thanks to an 11 yard reception and kept driving down the field. A TFL by Reagan Zbylot, an incomplete pass, and a penalty put the offense at 4th and 5 at the Warrior 14 yard line. They were able to get a first down. On 1st and goal at the 5 yard line, Garrett England tackled the running back and kept the him out of the end zone. The second quarter ended and the score was still 7-6. During the first half of the game, the offense only scored on one of five drives, with the other four drives ending in two punts, a fumble, and a missed field goal. In the second half, the offense would score a touchdown on three of eight drives, with the other five ending in three punts, a missed field goal, and victory formation.
In the third quarter, the Warrior defense caused two fumbles. This led to five different series on offense and five on defense. The kickoff gave the Warriors possession at their 26 yard line. WR/SS Bryson Zbylot caught a pass for 34 yards to begin the drive. Daniel Abraham continued the series with a run for 9 yards. Ethan Rice caught a pass for 16 yards and gave the Warriors first and goal. A penalty briefly stalled the offense, but on the next play, Daniel Abraham left multiple defenders in his wake on an 11 yard rushing touchdown. It was his sixth touchdown of the season. The extra point by Ethan Rice was good and he kicked off. Daniel Abraham tackled the returner at the Spartan 15 yard line. Good pass coverage by Reagan Zbylot and a tackle at the line of scrimmage forced a three and out by the Spartans. They punted and the Warriors got the ball at their 38 yard line. Daniel Abraham continued to make his presence known in the run game with a rush for 13 yards. Unfortunately, multiple TFLs and a sack ended the Warriors’ drive and they punted from their 40 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes forced the Spartans to punt again from their 13 yard line to WR Jackson Resurreccion, who returned the ball to the opponent’s 38 yard line. Once again, the offense just wasn’t clicking. They went three and out and punted. WR Josiah Stavinoha tackled the returner at his 12 yard line. Three plays into the drive, Joe Cassidy strip sacked the quarterback and DE Jeremiah Wilkins recovered the fumble at the Spartan 25 yard line. Two plays later, Daniel Abraham brought the ball to the 15 yard line with a 13 yard run. TE/FS Cameron Frank outran a defender and caught a 15 yard touchdown pass to add to the Warriors’ lead. Ethan Rice’s extra point was good and the score was 21-6 with 2:23 left in the third quarter. On the next drive, the Spartan offense completed a 42 yard pass that gave them 1st and goal at the 3 yard line. OLB/C Peter Zbylot caused a fumble and his cousin Bryson Zbylot recovered it at the Warrior 1 yard line. On offense, Daniel Abraham had back to back 9 yard runs, but several incomplete passes followed and put the Warriors at 4th and 10. Daniel punted and Jackson Resurreccion tackled the returner at his 30 yard line. An incomplete pass, an 8 yard sack by DE/DT Mark Haynes, and a pass breakup by Garrett England forced the Spartans to punt. Garrett returned the punt to their 35 yard line. The third quarter ended and the score was 21-6.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors played three series on offense and two on defense. On 3rd and 3 at the Spartan 28 yard line, Drew Harrison threw a 28 yard touchdown pass to Jackson Resurreccion. Ethan Rice’s extra point was good and he kicked off. Anthony Carias tackled the returner at the Spartan 30 yard line. The opponent was able to get to the Warrior 40 yard line before four straight incompletions forced a turnover on downs. Bryson Zbylot caught a pass for 18 yards, followed by a 12 yard run by Garrett England. On fourth down, the Warriors tried a field goal from the Spartan 23 yard line, but it was no good. The Spartan offense got the ball and drove down the field to the Warrior 20 yard line. On 2nd and 1, Daniel Abraham made a leaping interception and returned the ball to the Warriors. He ran twice before the Warriors lined up in victory formation. They won 28-6. The game wasn’t perfect by any means, but the Warriors made the necessary adjustments at halftime to score three unanswered touchdowns. The defense gave up some big plays, but they only allowed one touchdown. They also stopped the opponent in the red zone multiple times and came up with three turnovers. Overall, both sides of the ball performed well and made the Homecoming game an exciting one.
Drew Harrison completed 7 of 16 passes for a total of 115 yards and 2 touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 108.1. Daniel Abraham led the team in rushing yards with 140 yards on 6 carries. His longest run was for 19 yards and he scored one rushing touchdown. Conner Burke had the second most rushing yards with 62 on 10 carries, including 1 touchdown. Garrett England had the third most rushing yards with 20 on 4 carries. Bryson Zbylot led the team in receiving yards with 2 catches for 62 yards. Jackson Resurreccion had the second most receiving yards with 1 touchdown reception for 28 yards. Ethan Rice came in third with 2 catches for 21 total yards. Cameron Frank caught a 15 yard touchdown pass for the fourth most receiving yards.
On the defense, Anthony Carias led the team in tackles with a total of 10. Conner Burke had 9 tackles, including a TFL. Reagan Zbylot had 8 tackles and 2 TFLs. Joe Cassidy and Peter Zbylot tied for the fourth most tackles with 7 each. They both caused a fumble and Joe also had 3 sacks. Daniel Abraham had 1 interception, and Jeremiah Wilkins and Bryson Zbylot each recovered a fumble.
I interviewed WR/SS Josiah Stavinoha about the team’s overall performance, feeling pressure, and more.
Ella: How do you feel about the team’s performance tonight?
Josiah: Honestly, we could have done better in the first half but we managed to pull it together in the second half and really put it on them. We couldn’t have done better in the second half but we definitely could have done better in the first half.
Ella: What did you do well in this game and what can you improve on?
Josiah: I ran good routes but I did not catch the ball well. I definitely need to improve on catching, really locking the ball in. And blocking, because I got pancaked.
Ella: Who are some of your teammates that stood out to you tonight?
Josiah: Definitely Daniel Abraham and Bryson Zbylot.
Ella: Did you feel any additional pressure this week because of the significance of this game?
Josiah: Not really. I felt more pressure because I recently injured my knee again and I’m trying to get back in and so that’s why I was feeling pressure. But I knew we could beat this team and I’m confident in our team.
Ella: In your opinion, what was the best play you made tonight?
Josiah: I didn’t really have many. Probably a tackle on a punt return. I was able to wrap him up and get him down.
Ella: How do you think this game will affect our national homeschool rankings?
Josiah: I think we’re going to stay pretty much the same. Going forward to these next two games, I don’t think it’s going to affect our rankings at all so I think we’re pretty much #2 all the way.
Note: The Warriors play Episcopal (Bellaire) on Friday, October 28 at 7 pm. The game is at Episcopal High School. Check the TCW social media for any changes to the time or location.