Photo by Mandie Englert Lukas Cope hauls in a 19-yard touchdown pass during the Warren Dawgs’ victory over Coudersport.

The Warren Dawgs football team completed their fifth shutout of the season, downing Coudersport 19-0, and advancing to their second consecutive championship game.

The Dawgs dominated time of possession and once again. In six games this season the Dawgs have posted five shutouts. The defense was once again smothering as it held Coudy to 43 total yards of offense and accumulated six sacks, led by Clay Cummings’ three.

The Dawgs’ first drive covered 65 yards, capped by a Keegan Weissinger 5-yard touchdown run. The PAT pass from Weissinger to Chase Raub was good to make it 7-0 Dawgs. Warren’s defense would force a quick three-and-out with a third-down sack by Raub. On the ensuing drive, the Dawgs would again drive it down the field, capped by Weissinger’s 9-yard TD run to make it 13-0 Dawgs.

The overwhelming Dawgs defensive pressure would force another three-and-out. With 1:40 left in the second quarter, Weissinger would find Lukas Cope for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cap the scoring. For the rest of the game, the Dawgs would work the clock and play dominant defense to close out the game and advance to their second straight championship appearance. They won last season 12-6)

The Dawgs’ offense was led by Weissinger’s 64 yards passing and Clay Cummings’ 80 yards rushing. Hunter Ingerson, Johnny Nunez, Noah Pape and Chase Raub would also add in rushing yards as they would accumulate 159 yards on the ground for a total of 223 yards for the game, behind the line of Pape, Laine Jackson, Jeremiah Lyon, Owen Young and Ryan Hilliard.

The defense was led by Lukas Cope’s six tackles. Clayton Hammerbeck, Pape, Raub, Ingerson, Cummings and Scott Skidmore all added multiple tackles.

The Warren Dawgs (5-1) will take on Cameron County (6-0) in Kane at Paul R. Miller Stadium for the league championship at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Dawgs are seeking their second straight championship win against an undefeated team for the second straight season.

The Dawgs will be escorted out of town by local police and fire departments. Escort time is set for 8:45 a.m.

HOGS FALL TO STORM

The Warren Hogs traveled to Emporium to face the undefeated Cameron County Storm in a playoff matchup. The Hogs ultimately fell to the Storm 20-2.

While the Hogs’ defense continued its strong play, untimely turnovers led to a short field for the Storm to exploit. On the second play to start the game, Ty Bryan threw his first interception of the season, and the Storm were able to capitalize a few plays later to take a 7-0 lead.

A swing pass from Bryan to Blake Peterson seemingly fell incomplete. However, after both teams’ players stopped, the whistle had not blown, and a Storm defender picked up the ball to hand to the referee. After a few seconds, the players realized the play was still live, and the defender began returning the fumble before being tackled shy of the goal line. Cameron County scored a few plays later to bring the score to 14-0 going into halftime.

After the halftime break, Cameron County got the ball and drove 65 yards in 32 seconds to bring the score to 20-0.

Cameron County was able to stuff the run game, forcing the Hogs to turn to a passing-oriented script. While the Hogs were able to drive the ball, two second-half interceptions killed momentum for the Hogs.

The third interception late in the game put the ball deep in Storm territory. Lucas Sorensen made a tackle for a loss for a safety.

The Warren Hogs finished the season with only 27 points allowed on the season, with shutout wins over Kane, Smethport, Otto Eldred and Port Allegany. All 27 points were scored by Cameron County against the Hogs.

Ty Bryan finished the game with 40 rushing yards, 90 passing yards and three interceptions. Blake Peterson finished with four receiving yards and a fumble recovery. Emmett Snyder had 31 receiving yards and Shaun Lauderdale added 5 receiving yards. Owen Damcott finished with 24 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards on four catches. The Hogs keyed on Bryan and Peterson to shut down the run game.

Defensively, the Hogs were led by Bryan with five tackles; Lucas Sorensen finished with four tackles, including one for a loss, and a safety; Peterson had three tackles, including two for a loss; Lauderdale added three tackles; Brody Connolly had two tackles and a tackle for a loss; Oliver Drescher and Leeland Brown had two tackles apiece; and Johnathan Sullivan, Owen Damcott, Elijah Dodge, Landon Lutton; and Harrison Horner each had one tackle, with Horner’s tackle being a tackle for a loss. Emmett Snyder had a pass deflection, which he nearly pulled in for a heavily contested interception.

The Hogs outscored opponents 112-27 on the season, finishing with a 4-2 record after falling one game shy of the championship.

The division playoff Offensive Player of the Game and Defensive Player of the Game, sponsored by CTI Physical Therapy, Complete Roofing Systems, Barnhart Napa Auto Parts, Pipeworks Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, and Sugar Grove American Legion, were Owen Damcott (Offensive Player of the Game) and Lucas Sorensen (Defensive Player of the Game).

The Warren Hogs will be represented in the OAYFL (Olean Area Youth Football League) “Little 30” All-Star Game by Ty Bryan, Brody Connolly, Owen Damcott, Oliver Drescher, Mason Erhart, Harrison Horner, Jaret Lang, Blake Peterson, Lucas Sorensen, and Johnathan Sullivan. They will be joined by Warren Hogs coaches Nick Bryan, Dwight Damcott and Dan Sullivan.