by James Tate

The Weber Warriors kept firm hold of ” The Shield” Friday night, powering to a 53–35 road victory over the Roy Royals behind explosive offense, opportunistic defense, and a six‑touchdown performance from junior quarterback Carter Payne.

The Warriors set the tone immediately. On the game’s first snap, senior defensive back Reese Cantwell intercepted Roy quarterback Gunner Pearson, giving Weber instant momentum and excellent field position. Payne capitalized on the turnover by finding junior wide receiver Creed DeVries behind the secondary for a 50‑yard touchdown, the first of three scoring connections between the two.

Roy answered with a composed drive capped by Pearson’s 13‑yard touchdown run, briefly taking a 7–6 lead. Pearson battled throughout the night, finishing with 105 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 140 rushing yards with another score. Weber responded quickly as Payne scrambled for big yardage and finished the drive with a 6‑yard touchdown run, followed by a successful two‑point conversion to put the Warriors ahead 14–7.

Weber’s defense struck again late in the first quarter when junior Aidan Carpenter intercepted Pearson and returned it to the Roy 19. After a lengthy injury delay involving senior captain running back Carson Hill, the Warriors regrouped with renewed focus. Junior receiver Draycen Munoz hauled in a slant from Payne to make it 21–7.

Hill’s injury carried emotional weight for the Warriors, especially for senior leader Bracken Day, who described the moment as both unsettling and motivating.

Carter Payne

“Playing after Carson got hurt… it’s definitely hard to play after a key player like that,” Day said. “For me, he’s my safety duo, so it’s a weird situation where it’s motivating and at the same time nervous for what happened to him. But we took it as motivation.”

Junior lineman Titan Moorhead echoed that sentiment, emphasizing how much “The Shield” meant to the team and community.

“I think that winning “The Shield” is one of the things we looked forward to all week when preparing for the game, “Moorhead said. “We just knew all week that the game was worth more than just us; it was a thing for our community, and we knew we just had to dominate. And with Carson going down, it really lit a fire under us… our offense wanted to show everyone that what happened against Fremont on TV would never happen again. So, we just wanted to go out and dominate.”

Weber continued to pour on points as Payne and DeVries connected again before the quarter ended, this time on a 42‑yard strike that extended the advantage to 27–7.

The Warriors’ offensive line, seniors Rushton Stark, Bryce Meyer, Falcon Moorhead, Ethan McKinney, and junior Titan Moorhead, controlled the trenches throughout the half, giving Payne time and creating lanes for Hill and junior back Wyatt Nielsen. Payne and DeVries connected for their third touchdown of the half from 21 yards out, pushing the lead to 33–7.

Roy found late momentum when kick returner JuJu Teran set up excellent field position with an exciting 60-yard kickoff return, and Pearson hit Howie Howard on a 21‑yard screen pass with .52 left in the half, cutting the deficit to 33–14.

Gunner Pearson

Second half: Royals rally, but Weber closes strong

Roy opened the second half with urgency, recovering a Weber fumble to set up a short field. Senior receiver Luke Pebley hauled in a 15‑yard touchdown from Pearson to make it 33–21 with 6:45 left in the third quarter.

Weber responded immediately as Payne delivered his fourth touchdown pass of the night, a 15‑yard slant to Munoz, extending the lead to 39–21. Later in the third, Nielson broke free for a 15‑yard touchdown run, giving Weber a comfortable 47–21 advantage heading into the fourth.

Roy continued to battle in the final period. Senior receiver Tyler Dickson found Teran for a 5‑yard touchdown pass, senior Ace Reading recovered a mishandled Weber punt in the end zone, and senior Korbin Craner powered in a 2‑yard touchdown run. Despite the late surge, Weber’s early dominance held firm as the Warriors closed out a 53–33 victory, improving to 2–1 on the season while Roy fell to 1–2.

Weber’s defense delivered a complete performance, anchored by seniors Joelle Carrillo and Day, junior Andrew Messerly, and McKinney. Day credited the unit’s discipline and situational execution:

“Defense was super successful by forcing Roy’s offense into passing situations,” Day said. “When they got into 2nd‑and‑long, 3rd‑and‑long, we were successful.”

Despite the loss, the Royals battled from start to finish. Behind Pearson’s fire and leadership, and the steady play of the offensive line featuring Tasker Bills, Julian Vazquez, Joey Faifai, Mason Pugmire, and Payton Vetrano, Roy closed the game with energy and execution. Their strong finish gives them momentum heading into next week as they look to build on the positives from a hard‑fought rivalry matchup.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are riding high with their second straight win and an offense clicking on all cylinders. Payne and his receivers, DeVries, Munoz, and Bridger Rasmussen, continue to be a difficult matchup for opposing defenses. With a defense generating turnovers and confidence building across the roster, Weber will look to make it three straight when they travel to Viewmont for their next matchup.

photos courtesy of James Tate