JASPER, Tenn. - As he made his way off the field, Ricky Ross took one last look up at the scoreboard. Ever the defensive coach, a wide grin came over his face as he stared at the huge zero on the visitors' side.
Not even the steady rain that had pelted the field since the opening minutes of the game could dampen the mood for Marion County's second-year coach, or anyone wearing purple, after the second-ranked Warriors disposed of Westmoreland 42-0 in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.
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Marion County 42, Westmoreland 0
The star: The Marion County defensive unit held the Tigers to 63 total yards (57 rushing) and registered its second straight shutout.Up next: Marion County will travel to play Forrest in the second round.
"I told our guys before the game that you can't lose if you don't give up any points," Ross said. "To go two weeks in a row without allowing a point is really big. We're playing well on that side of the ball right now.
"We had some things planned on offense, but once the weather moved in we pulled back a little and just did what we needed to to get the win. I think we wore on them in the second half.
The Warriors got all the points they would need in the first half as the defense dominated throughout, giving up a total of 63 yards for the game as Westmoreland managed just 2 yards per offensive play. Marion has allowed a total of 16 points in its last four games.
The Warriors (10-1) will travel to Region 4 champion Forrest (10-1) for next week's second round.
Although the Warriors never were able to get the steady stream of big plays that have been such a big part of their offense all season, they were rarely slowed.
In his second game back from a concussion, senior quarterback Logan Walters continued to regain the dual-threat form that had made him so tough to defend. Walters threw for two touchdowns and 87 yards in the first half and ran for a pair to begin the second half.
"It's the best feeling in the world to be back out here with my team," Walters said. "Especially when you think you won't be able to play again this year. I feel like I'm getting close to being 100 percent again.
"It was important for us to put them away early and make a statement for everybody else to see. The way the defense played, that's a huge load off our shoulders."
On the Warriors' second series of the game, Walters connected with Bryce Massengale in the corner of the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown. But that's when the rain set in and the game became as sloppy as the field conditions.
Marion took advantage of a short field for its second touchdown, covering 45 yards in just four plays with Hunter Zeman scoring on a 12-yard run, then pushed the lead to 21-0 by halftime when Walters rolled to his right on third-and-11 and found Jacob Saylors on a short pass that was turned into a 46-yard TD.
After opening the second half with an impressive drive, capped by a 1-yard TD from Walters, the Warriors scored again quickly right after a special-teams turnover set them up inside the Tigers' 20. On third-and-13, Walters scrambled through the defense for a 15-yard TD barely three minutes into the half to begin the running-clock mercy rule.
Mr. Football semifinalist Josh Henderson added a 21-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter for the final margin. Quinn Beasley led Marion with 78 yards on six carries and Henderson finished with 64 yards.
"I'm proud of the effort in the first half," Tigers coach Steve Harris said. "They made a couple of big plays that broke our backs, and then they came out in the second half with a lot more intensity and really took it to us."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.