It’s Week 2 for the 2023 Warren Dragons and it doesn’t get any easier. After a 76-0 Region 4 loss at Oil City in their opener, the Dragons will host Region 3’s Sharon (1-0) at 7 tonight at War Memorial Field.

The Tigers, who return a majority of starters, opened with a 26-0 win last Saturday over visiting Neshannock.

“There was lots to take away from last week,” said Warren coach Cody Bupp of the lopsided loss at the Oilers. “We have to be better in all three phases of the game. Sometimes your best is not enough and you are overmatched. There were some bright spots in there, and we tried to build off of those this week.

“At one point last week, we had nine freshmen and sophomores in the ball game on both sides of the ball,” Bupp added. “The underclassmen got 124 reps to get better on Friday and another 90 on Monday (junior varsity). Those are going to pay dividends down the road. There is only so much you can replicate in practice, and need to experience in a game setting.”

Again, that game setting will be against a District 10 3A playoff team in Sharon, hungry to show it can overcome the losses of last year’s quarterback and top running back to graduation. Despite losing nearly 2,100 rushing yards from last season from former quarterback Mikey Rodriques and tailback Jayveerh White, Sharon ground out 247 rushing yards in the opening win.

“We will be down some starters this week due to injuries,” said Bupp. “So, we will have moving pieces again, and (there are) opportunities for younger kids to gain experience. Sharon brings a talented football team to town on Friday night. It’s not getting any easier this week. Sharon brings a bigger line than Oil City last week; same pound for pound, but taller. They are a very senior-laden team, and bring back almost everyone from last year’s D10 AAA semifinals run.

“Offensively, they are looking to run the rock, but can beat you outside one on one. They will utilize motion and pulling linemen to get to the point of attack. They bring numerous formations –spread and power, mix up tempo, and look to get the ball in their playmakers’ hands. We have to be better in our angles and open-field tackling this week. We had times last week where we got a push up front, but needed that next level to come up and make a play.

“Defensively, they run a 3-3 stack look and use their athleticism in space,” added Bupp. “They have a ton of team speed and experience. They are aggressive and like to bring pressure from all over the field. They bring back nine starters on that side of the ball, and two of those were impact freshman starters a year ago. We have to be able to get some momentum going and put together drives this week. With injuries in some key areas, we have to go back to the drawing board and try to find ways to get some momentum going.

“There is no doubt these first two weeks are against perennial D10 contenders, and it is a good measuring stick for how far we have to come as a program,” said Bupp. “We challenged the kids to go out and compete and leave everything you have. You have to be consistent in your approach every rep, play within your abilities and trust your technique.”