Two first quarter touchdowns and a stingy defense set the tone early for a 63-0 rout of the Chandler Lions by Washington’s Warriors last Friday night at Reed Field.

When the dust had settled the Warriors posted a 63-0 shutout over the previously twice beaten Lions.

The Warriors scored on their first possession and again after a pass interception by Kade Babcock. That 14-point lead ballooned to a 35-0 cushion at intermission with the Warrior reserves scoring two of the four second half touchdowns.

As good and productive the offense was, it was the defense that sunk their fangs deep into the throats of the Lions.

Led by defensive ends Dom Palumbo and Hunter Sanders, the smothering Warrior defenders limited Chandler to 68 yards of total offense.

The amazing statistic is Chandler got 38 yards of the 68 on a cover bust in the first quarter.

So for the fina 3 3/4 of the game, Chandler was limited to a mere 30 yards of offense.

“It was a great team feat,” head coach Brad Beller said. “We didn’t have any outrageous stat line. It was a collective group effort.

“I credit our defensive ends Dom Palumbo and Hunter Sanders,” the coach continued. “They wreaked havoc. And we got the two big interceptions by Kade Babcock and Rhett Dickerson.”

As usual, junior quarterback Creed Barrett was almost surgical with his passing efficiency.

Barrett completed 11 of his 14 passes for 182 yards and a trio of touchdowns.

Babcock caught the first scoring strike off Barrett’s arm, a 24 yard play in the first quarter. Jefferson Hodge was twice on the receiving end of Barrett’s touchdown passes, 22 yards in the second quarter and a five yarder in the third period.

“Creed was very efficient and spread the ball out again hitting six different receivers,” Beller said.

Likewise, the ground game was right on the mark. Ten different Warriors carried the ball on their 39 rushing attempts. Washington gained 227 yards on the ground, led by junior Josiah Dickerson, who finished with 101 yards on 14 carries. He scored on runs of five in the first  quarter and again from five yards out in the second stanza.

Junior Gavin Foster took an 11 yard run to the house in the second quarter. After the half, senior Jaaron Gordon scooped up a Chandler fumble at the 11 yard line and returned it to the crib.

Closing out the scoring in the fourth period were a pair of freshmen Sammy Salcedo from a yard out and Brody Johnson from seven yards out. Johnson’s touchdown was followed by a bad snap on the PAT that Bo Beard ran in for the two point conversion.

“Both sides of the ball and on special teams it was very much a team oriented win,” Beller said. “It was a collective group that made our offense and defense as productive as it was.”

Washington will host the Dewey Bulldoggers to open the 2026 playoffs Friday night at Reed Field. Kick off is set for 7 p.m.

The 6-4 Bulldoggers will spread the field whether they are throwing or rushing the football and run a 3-3 stack on defense.

“They try to bring a ton of pressure with those six guys in the box,” Beller said.

Beller said the key to the game will be how fast his club can start the game.

“We have to get out of the gate quick,” he confirmed. “Anytime you are in a playoff game, you need to get out the gate quick of both offense and defense. We have to win the turnover battle on both sides.”

Warrior notes:

Head coach Brad Beller nominated Trip Wilson as the Offensive Lineman of the Week. He graded out at 90 percent against Chandler.

Josiah Dickerson was the nominee for Offensive Player of the week for his two touchdowns and 101 yards rushing on 14 attempts.

Getting the nod for Defensive Lineman of the Week was Dom Palumbo, who had five tackles including one behind the line of scrimmage.

The Defensive Player of the Week nominee was Hunter Sanders for his five tackles and two tackles for loss against the Lions.