Marcus Taylor Explodes In Warriors' Win Over Fort Zumwalt South

The Warriors came to Friday night and defeated the home team Bulldogs 34-21 in the first game of the 2011 season. 

Part way through the first quarter, the Warriors were moving downfield, but the Bulldogs made it a physical battle for every yard. St. Charles West quarterback Kyle Anders hooked up with sophomore running back Auggie Loschen to set up the first touchdown of the game for the Warriors. 

Both Anders and Bulldogs' quarterback, Brett Simon don't have much varsity experience. 

Midway into the third quarter, the Warriors started to run away with the game when they scored their fourth touchdown of the night to extend the lead to 27-21.

The Warriors' quarterback Anders completed 12 of 18 passes for a total of 206 passing yards.

"We're kinda young this year," Coach Gary Strauss said. "Our quarterback is only a sophomore, as is our split-end (Ryan Finders). Tonight, they both had tremendous games, I thought."

The standout player for St. Charles West was junior running back/defensive back Marcus Taylor. At one point, Taylor was felled by what was determined to be a minor sprain/cramp in his lower leg but he continued to play.

By the end of the evening, Taylor had bulldozed out 74 yards on 11 carries for an average gain of almost seven yards a carry. A great deal of these rushing yards were achieved with Zumwalt defenders hanging onto him. On the defensive end, Taylor also had six solo tackles, as well as two interceptions.

On the flipside, Fort Zumwalt South had their own leader in the form of junior running back/defensive back Chase Abbington. He suffered from leg cramps during the game but played through the pain.

"Chase is fine (regarding the cramps)," Coach Scott Fulton said after the game. "It was hot tonight, and with playing both offense and defense and special teams we have to find a way to rest him now and then so he can stay fresh."

There was one moment late in the game where Abbington revealed his skill at running back. Zumwalt South forced the Warriors back to their one-yard line. On the snap, Brett Simon turned and handed the ball off to Abbington, who then leapt vertically into the air and propelled himself up and over the several Warrior defenders head-first into the end zone for a Bulldog touchdown.  

"Our team has a lot of heart," Fulton said. "These kids — every one of them are willing to work hard. We just have to catch a few breaks here and there, and our season will be good. It's a long season. We have 10 games to play."