Warriors Using Defeat As Fuel In Week 7

White County head coach Curtis Beaty said he has seen a change in mindset from the Warriors ahead of their Friday match-up with Cumberland County.

The Warriors are coming off a 34-18 victory over Macon County that Beaty called a “palate cleanser”. Beaty described week five’s loss to Upperman as “embarrassing” and said that loss is being used as fuel for his players.

“Sparta was embarrassed of itself,” Beaty said. “And our kids took that and ran with it all week and said they didn’t want to feel like that again. And they were willing to do what it took to not feel that way again and I think they stepped up and showed in a big way that they’re willing to fight their tails off.”

Beaty said he is not sure how long that “fuel” will last, but noted that he hopes it lasts all season. With the team traveling to Crossville to take on the Jets, he said the Warriors would be facing one of the region’s best coaches in Noah Repasky.

“He’s really sharp and does things offensively and defensively to move guys around and kind of gets you in bad spots sometimes,” Beaty said. “He’s always looking for an advantage, like I said, he’s a good football coach. Overall they’re a tough football team that fights.”

The Jets have flashed an exceptional offense in their two wins this season, averaging 43.5 points. Beaty said understanding and not getting distracted by the Jets’ pre-snap motion will be of the up-most importance on Friday night.

One of the leaders for the Warriors on defense this season has been senior Gage Stevenson. Beaty said he is looked upon as an anchor for the defense and will have a large role in this week’s game identifying pre-snap adjustments that need to be made.

“Gage does a lot of different stuff for us, we ask him to be a utility knife,” Beaty said. “And he does it without ever saying a word, he’s a quiet young man, very humble. He’s a great leader without even using his voice, he leads by example.”

White County travels to take on the Cumberland County Jets this Friday night. Kickoff at 7pm.