PIKEVILLE – A rainy, muggy afternoon didn’t stop UPIKE football on Saturday as it marched to its second win of the season against Warner in grand fashion with a 45-14 win.
The Bears scored 24 points in the second quarter, the final 17 unanswered, to separate itself from the Royals with a 31-7 halftime lead.
However, UPIKE was firing on all cylinders from the opening whistle with two Xondre Willis touchdowns on the first three drives to give the Bears a 14-0 lead. Willis scored a career-high three touchdowns on the night, with 131 all-purpose yards — 97 on the ground and 34 yards receiving.
Bowen Smith also had an efficient day throwing the ball given the conditions, going 12-19 for 146 yards with a touchdown. He also had five rushes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Willis’ second touchdown sparked the big second quarter for the Bears. After Warner scored to cut the lead to 14-7, UPIKE launched a long 11-play, 81-yard drive capped by Smith’s one-yard rushing touchdown to push it back to a two-possession game.
From there, though, UPIKE closed the half with a fast and furious offense but got some help from Warner along the way. William Chandler kicked a pooch kick after Smith’s touchdown, but Warner was unable to grab ahold of it and the Bears recovered with a short field. Three plays later, Braxton Whitmore scored his first touchdown of the season on a 13-yard slant route across the middle.
Warner then had a quick three-and-out and UPIKE took advantage and managed the clock well to have Chandler tack on a career-long 39-yard field goal through the rain to end the half.
The Bears defense earned its first score of the season with a scoop and score in the third quarter, forced by Seth Johnson then recovered by Cedric Thomas 10 yards for a touchdown.
The defense stepped up all game, limiting Warner to 281 yards on the afternoon and forcing two fumbles. Warner’s second fumble was forced to Curtis Brown and jumped on by Eric Campbell. Johran Broadax led the Bears with seven tackles.
UP NEXT
UPIKE embarks on its longest road trip of the season when it travels into east Alabama to take on Point University on Saturday for its first Mid-South Appalachian division contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Ram Stadium in Valley, Alabama.
At Pikeville
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
WU (0-4)…………………..0 7 7 0 – 14
UP (2-3)……………………7 24 14 0 – 45
Scoring:
First Quarter
UP – Xondre Willis, 19-yard run (William Chandler kick), 10:46
Second Quarter
UP – Xondre Willis, 5-yard run (William Chandler kick), 12:18
WU – Ralph Hughey, 2-yard run (Justin Dalton kick), 10:03
UP – Bowen Smith, 1-yard run (William Chandler kick), 4:38
UP – Braxton Whitmore, 14-yard pass from Bowen Smith (William Chandler kick), 2:33
UP – William Chandler, 39-yard field goal, :00
Third Quarter
UP – Xondre Willis, 19-yard run (William Chandler kick), 6:29
UP – Cedric Thomas, 25-yard fumble return (William Chandler kick)
WU – Jerimiah Cosby, 4-yard run (Justin Dalton kick), 1:26
Fourth Quarter
No scoring
Next up: UPIKE (2-3) at Point University, Ram Stadium, Valley, Ala., 1:30 p.m., Sept. 29.
(Source: UPIKE Sports Information Office)