Thunder & Lighting Power Warren Central

Warren Central entered the Kirk Herbstreit Football Series in Cincinnati, Ohio with something to prove. After coming off a week one victory, the Warriors knew their test against Middletown would show where they are in their quest to return to the state championship.

With the sun beating down on the turf of Paul Brown Stadium, the Middletown Middies and Warren Central Warriors looked to take each other to the limit. Just as the storms had passed through the Cincinnati area on Friday night, Warren Central had their own thunder and lighting show with running backs Eric Williams providing the Thunder and George Cheesebourough providing the lighting.

On the day the pair helped the Warriors claim a hard fought 39-35 victory by rushing for 280 yards combined on 42 carries.

Williams used his 6-foot-0, 200-pound frame to power right at Middletown and when the Warriors saw an opening quarterback Derek Hart would toss to Cheesebourough who was hard to bring down.

While some would question the possibility of Cheesebourough playing at the next level, he showed on Saturday that he could run with speed and power. One of the hardest players to bring down, Cheesebourough has quick feet and is willing to lower his shoulder and run over a defender to score or get a first down.

Hart played a smart game going 13-21-1 for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns and saw great protection from his offensive line having never been sacked.

Anthony Freeman was the big target on the day pulling in 7 balls for 82 yards and 1 touchdown.

But while Warren Central showed it's power, Middletown refused to go away as quarterback Caleb Watkins improved on his week one performance going 19-30 for 252 yards and 1 touchdown. Watkins would also rush for 63 yards on 18 carries with 2 touchdowns on the day.

When he looked to pass he found Nick McKnight five times for 103 yards and 1 touchdown.

Heat played a part in the game as players from both teams went down with cramps. But a few including D.J. Hunter would see an extended leave from the contest as he went down and didn't return until midway in the third quarter.

Richard Norris lead the Warriors defense with 10 total tackles and Jerry Gates matched the total for Middletown.

In the end Warren Central used Williams and Cheesebourough to run out the clock and head home with their second victory of the season 39-35.