Warren East vs. Calloway County: Two 3-1 Teams, Two Very Different Paths

Friday night - Smurf Turf

Two teams sitting at 3-1 will meet Friday night when the Calloway County Lakers travel to Warren East.

On paper, this is an interesting matchup because these teams have taken somewhat different paths to their records.

Calloway County has shown the ability to put points on the board in a hurry. Coach Lewis and the Lakers have an explosive offense with a quarterback who can make plays, a physical running game and receivers capable of turning relatively ordinary plays into big gains.

Warren East, meanwhile, has established its identity through defense. The Raiders are coming off a 14-0 shutout of Warren Central and have made it difficult for opponents to consistently move the football.

So Friday presents a pretty simple question:

Can Calloway's offense break through against one of the better defensive units Warren East has faced this season?

And just as importantly:

Can Warren East's offense score enough to take advantage of those defensive stops?

Calloway Has Plenty of Firepower

The Lakers aren't 3-1 by accident.

Senior quarterback Matthew Briedwell has been the engine of the Calloway offense, giving the Lakers a quarterback capable of making plays with his arm and extending drives when things break down.

Behind him is senior running back Brayden Tupper, who gives Calloway a physical presence in the running game. Tupper has been averaging more than 100 yards per game and gives the Lakers an answer when they want to establish the run.

Then there's Jackson Wyatt, a sophomore wide receiver who has emerged as an explosive weapon in the passing game. Wyatt has been averaging more than 100 receiving yards per game and has already found the end zone multiple times.

That's a difficult combination to defend.

Briedwell can distribute the football, Tupper can create problems on the ground, and Wyatt gives the Lakers a legitimate big-play threat on the outside.

And Calloway isn't simply a passing team. In last week's 49-29 win over Ballard Memorial, the Lakers finished with 435 total yards - 288 passing and 147 rushing.

That balance is going to be important against Warren East.

Warren East's Defense Gets Its Biggest Test Yet

The Raiders' defense has been the story of their season so far.

Senior linebacker Sam Tunks has been particularly disruptive. Tunks enters Friday with 40 tackles and nine tackles for loss, with those nine TFLs putting him among the state's leaders.

His ability to create negative plays could be a major factor against Calloway. Getting the Lakers behind the chains would go a long way toward taking some of the pressure off the Warren East secondary.

Xavier "Cane' Roberts has also been a major contributor, leading the Raiders with 41 tackles on the season.

The combination of Tunks' ability to get into the backfield and Roberts' tackling production gives Warren East two defenders who figure to be heavily involved Friday night.

But this will be a different challenge than simply stopping a conventional running attack.

Calloway has enough weapons to punish a defense that overcommits to the run, and Briedwell-to-Wyatt is a combination the Raiders can't afford to lose track of.

Don't Sleep on the Raider Offense

For Warren East, the biggest question may not be whether the defense can slow Calloway down.

It may be whether the offense can capitalize when it does.

Against an explosive team, possessions become valuable. A defense can play well for three downs, force a punt and then watch the advantage disappear if the offense can't turn that stop into points.

That's where Warren East's offensive playmakers become important.

Azzarrious Douglas gives the Raiders an explosive element at wide receiver and the ability to create a big play in the passing game. If Warren East can find ways to get Douglas into space, he could be an important piece of Friday night's game.

The Raiders don't necessarily need to match Calloway score-for-score.

But they probably can't afford to leave too many opportunities on the field.

The Key to the Game

For Calloway, the formula seems fairly straightforward:

Protect Briedwell, establish Tupper and find Wyatt in space.

If the Lakers can stay ahead of the chains and force Warren East to defend the entire width and length of the field, they have the personnel to put points on the board.

For Warren East, it starts with discipline.

The Raiders can't give up cheap explosive plays. They will have to tackle well, communicate in the secondary and find ways to create negative plays.

That's where Tunks could become particularly important.

If Warren East can get Calloway into obvious passing situations, the defensive front can become much more aggressive. If Tupper is consistently moving the chains and Briedwell is staying ahead of the sticks, however, the Lakers will be able to dictate the pace.

Strength vs. Strength

This is what makes Friday night's matchup interesting.

Calloway brings one of the more explosive offenses Warren East has seen this season.

Warren East brings a defense that has shown it can make opponents work for everything.

Neither side is going to have an easy night.

Calloway has the offensive firepower to turn this into a high-scoring game if Warren East gives up too many explosives. Warren East, on the other hand, has enough defensive talent to potentially make the Lakers grind out drives rather than getting easy scores.

The game could ultimately come down to which team is able to force the other into playing outside of its comfort zone.

If Calloway gets the kind of game it wants - tempo, explosives and plenty of opportunities for its playmakers - the Lakers are going to be tough to handle.

If Warren East can make the game physical, limit the big plays and make Calloway consistently earn every yard, the Raiders have a chance to control the game with their defense.

Either way, 3-1 is going to become 4-1 for somebody.

Friday night should be a good test for both teams.

Calloway County brings the firepower.
Warren East brings the defense.

Now we'll see which one travels better.

Going to be a big game Lakers have fire power Raiders have aggressive defense I like the Lakers here going to be a good one in BG!

I don't think the Raiders will have that hard a time scoring I mean Ballard Memorial put up 29 against CC. I think WE has a strong defense with the new defensive coordinator I know the Scotties sure miss him he can flat out coach defense. Give me the Raiders 28-21.

Give me the Raiders at home in a close one.

I'd like to think Warren east has better skill kids outside of the Calloway QB and that TE/WR. It may be a test of the LOS this week.

Crazy amount of circumstances, Warren East stadium lights malfunction during the coin toss in the side of the game ended up getting moved to Warren Central high school and the delayed kickoff wasn't until 9 PM. Warren East seem to have played well and more explosive and beat Callaway 40 to 14.