Warriors gall to DeKalb County in hard-fought home match

The White County Middle School Warriors came up just short Tuesday night, falling to DeKalb County 2-1 in a tightly contested match on their home field.

The game was played evenly played from start to finish, with both teams battling for control across the pitch. In the end, a few small mistakes proved costly for the Warriors.

“I thought we executed our game plan well,” White County head coach Justin Rittenberry said. “We just made some simple mistakes that ultimately cost us the game.”

DeKalb County struck first late in the opening half, finding the back of the net with just under four minutes remaining before the break. But White County didn’t take long to respond. Moments after conceding the goal, the Warriors answered with one of their own when Braxton Jones set up Micah Hogg for the equalizer, knotting the match at 1-1 as they headed into halftime.

The second half saw both teams continue to battle back and forth as each side looked for the go-ahead goal. The defenses held strong for much of the period before DeKalb County broke the deadlock with a long-range strike that slipped past the Warriors’ defense.

White County continued to push forward in the final minutes, creating a few scoring opportunities as they searched for another goal. Despite the late pressure, the Warriors were unable to convert and DeKalb County held on to go home with the win.

Goalkeeper Logan Allen recorded 13 saves in the net, keeping White County within striking distance throughout the match, but the Warriors just weren't able to get that much-needed second goal on offense.

White County will look to regroup quickly as they return to the pitch on March 16 when they travel to face Mt. Juliet.

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