The newest installment of the Warren Central-Pike Rivalry was one of the best the series has ever seen. Warren Central started the game strong, forcing a 3 and out on defense before marching down the field and punching in their first rushing touchdown of the night. After both teams traded a couple of punts back and forth, Warren Central again pounded the rock, leading to the Warriors’ running back, and eventual game MVP, Keyon Thomas powering his way into the endzone for an early 14-0 lead. As expected, Pike was not going to just roll over, and took the ensuing kickoff to the house, cutting the Warren Central lead in half. The next drive saw the Warriors continue to do what worked all night, as a third rushing touchdown extended their lead in the second quarter. After a second kickoff return touchdown was called back for holding, the Pike QB kept it himself on an option play, speeding 65 yards for a touchdown to give the Red Devils some life. However, the last drive before halftime saw Warren Central quickly move down the field, as Keyon Thomas broke three tackles and found paydirt for the second time, giving the Warriors a 28-12 halftime lead. The third quarter brought a defensive battle, as neither team could get anything going. This culminated in Pike fumbling the ball at the 5-yard line just before the fourth quarter. Just as it seemed that the Warriors were going to run out the clock, the Red Devils found their groove. After a Warren Central fumble set them up with goal to go, Pike punched it in on 4th and goal to close the gap to 28-20. The Red Devils defense stepped up and forced another punt, giving Pike the ball with 2 minutes left, needing to go 75 yards to try and tie the game. After moving the ball down the field, a few costly penalties left the Red Devils with 8 seconds left, needing a miracle. Pike, refusing to go down without a fight as they had all game, converted on a hail mary as time expired, giving them a chance to send it to overtime, which they did, converting on another 2-point try. The Red Devils got the ball first in the extra period, holding all the momentum in their hands, but it was the Warriors’ turn for a big play, as they got a 4th down stop. With that, Warren Central got the ball and used their run game to position it exactly where they wanted on the field, bringing in their kicker to nail the game winning field goal to bring home an electric 31-28 victory.