After the previous two games left California head football coach Marty Albertson frustrated with his team's inconsistent second-half play, all he was looking for Friday night at Warsaw was four solid quarters from his starters.
He didn't get it.
So dominant were the Pintos starters in the 56-20 victory that most were on the sidelines by the middle of the second quarter, returning only for one series at the start of the second half.
The victory clinched a perfect 9-0 regular season for the Pintos and earned them the outright Tri-County Conference Championship.
"They're a great football team," said Warsaw's first-year head coach Paul Thomas. "They could pretty much line up and do whatever they wanted."
That they did from the first snap of the game. Quarterback Jaden Barr kept the ball on the read option and scampered down the left sideline for a touchdown. It was one of three rushing scores on the night for Barr, who finished with 126 yards on seven carries while completing 6 of 11 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
"Coach always says you only go as far as your (offensive) line takes you, and the line made things happen tonight," Barr said. "They opened up the holes for me and made my job a lot easier."
The Pintos kept the pressure on early, tallying 42 first-quarter points, while the defense overwhelmed the Wildcats offensive line, completely shutting down quarterback Will Bunch and any hope of a running game en route to a 49-0 halftime advantage. The sophomore signal caller completed just 5 of 10 passes for 50 yards and two interceptions, though he did throw for two touchdown passes against the Pintos reserves in the second half.
"We're a very, very young team," said Thomas, who spent the past four seasons at Marceline High School and led them last year to the state finals. "It's not just a rebuilding year here. It's a rebuilding three or four years, but we're going to get there."
The Warriors finish the regular season at 2-7 overall, 1-6 in the Tri-County Conference.
The California victory clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs for the Pintos, who open district play at 7 p.m. Friday vs. Versailles. California beat the Tigers 51-14 on the road Sept. 5.
"You've got to execute, no matter who you're playing, so that's what we'll look to do," Albertson said.
Added Barr: "Our first goal was to win the conference title, our second goal was to win the district and then our third goal was to win state. We've got our first goal, but we're not satisfied."