CECILIA – Central Hardin knocked and did so rather loudly.

South Warren answered and also let its collective voice be heard in a 27-17 victory at Bruin Field Friday night in Elizabethtown.

Bruins junior fullback Josh Volentine went 70 yards untouched up the middle to cut the Spartans’ lead to 13-10 Friday evening at Bruin Field, but South Warren junior quarterback Gavin Spurrier and senior running back Tryce Jackson then did their thing.

The Spartans went 80 yards in eight plays and scored 3:09 after Volentine’s jaunt to open a 20-10 lead after Alex Cohron’s PAT. Spurrier found Cody Eblen from 20 yards out one play into the fourth period.

“Good teams will find a way to take that adversity and respond to it and our team did that tonight,” South Warren coach Brandon Smith said. “That’s a good sign.”

They answered twice, actually.

Spurrier hooked up with Clayton Bush from 32 yards out on first down the next time South Warren snapped the ball for a 27-10 cushion after Cohron’s PAT.

The quarterback motioned Bush down the field and there was nothing but open space.

“I’ve never seen a perfect high school football game. I’m never gonna see one,” Smith said. “It comes down to guys being able to make plays when things break down. That’s what they did right there. Things broke down, they made a play and found a way to make it successful.”

Spurrier finished the evening 17-for-26 for 220 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Tryce had four carries for 23 yards on the drive to answer Central Hardin’s score. He finished the evening with 103 yards on 15 carries.

The Spartans (4-0) held the Bruins to 33 yards of offense in the first half.

“We did a nice job of stopping their initial play – which is what they like to do, run the ball – and kind of getting them to do things they don’t like to do,” Smith said. “That was our game plan going into it – get them out of their initial plan and get them into their B and C plan.”

South Warren’s biggest negative on the night was the 18 penalties for 160 yards.

The Spartans finished with 394 yards of offense.

Their first two scores were 27- and 32-yard field goals from Cohron.

Central Hardin made it 6-3 on Schall’s 25-yard field goal 1:51 before halftime.

South Warren answered that with a 57-yard drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Spurrier to Marcus Elmore in the corner of the end zone with 20.3 seconds showing. That happened on first-and-goal from the 13 after two illegal procedure penalties.

“They’re a good football team,” Central Hardin coach Tim Mattingly said. “They whipped us up front. That’s what I just told our team. Their desire up front was greater than our desire. We just got physically whipped.

“We still made some plays to get us back in the game.

“They’re a good, quality football team. I knew they were. They are well coached. You can tell that by watching them.”

SWHS 6 7 0 14 —27

CHHS 0 3 7 7 —17

First quarter

SW: Alex Cohron 27-yard field goal, 7:17

SW: Cohron 32-yard field goal, 1:15

Second quarter

CH: Garrett Schall 25-yard field goal, 1:51

SW: Marcus Elmore 13-yard pass from Gavin Spurrier, :20.3

Third quarter

CH: Josh Volentine 70-yard run (Schall kick), 3:02

Fourth quarter

SW: Coby Elben 20-yard pass from Spurrier (Cohron kick), 11:53

SW: Clayton Bush 32-yard pass from Spurrier (Cohron kick), 9:12

CH: Chris Bellin 21-yard run (Schall kick), 3:28.