Perseverance paying off

Injuries are a part of football, and good teams find a way to overcome them.

Jimmy Noonan's first season as the head coach at Wando High got off to a shaky start even before the first kickoff of the regular season.

The Warriors lost their starting quarterback, Michael Paul, starting center Chris Stone, and a starting linebacker, Zach Dunahoe.

As you might expect, the Warriors struggled out of the gate, losing their first three games. However, Wando had chances to win two of those games.

Noonan has seen his club turn the corner in recent weeks, notching back-to-back victories over James Island and Colleton County to improve to 2-3 heading into tonight's matchup at undefeated Berkeley.

"Our kids have shown some character and they have never quit working or trying to improve," said Noonan, who was promoted to head coach from offensive coordinator last spring.

"This is a group that has been willing to dedicate themselves to doing the best they can. It's nice to see them reap some rewards for all of their hard work. It's a lot easier to believe in what you're doing when you are winning on Friday night. I think confidence has been a big key."

While Dunahoe and Stone are out for the season, Paul was able to return to action in last week's 22-21 overtime win over Colleton County. In fact, the senior scored two touchdowns.

Noonan says the play of Connor Anderson at quarterback while Paul was out proved to be crucial. Anderson completed 37 of 77 passes for 479 yards and five touchdowns.

"He was a backup quarterback and had really found a home in the secondary at free safety, but we had to move him back when Michael got hurt," said Noonan. "He has done a great job for us. With Michael back, we have two guys who can help us at quarterback and Connor is still a great asset in the secondary."

Senior Rashaud Singleton has banged his way for 245 rushing yards. The team's top returning rusher, Lee Oree, missed the last two games and has gained only 85 yards this season.

But it has been Wando's defense that has been its strength. The Warriors are allowing only 258 yards per game and have played well enough for the Warriors to be 4-1 if mistakes in the kicking game had not cost them victories over West Ashley and Conway.

Linebackers Xavier Dingle and Denzel Green are the team's leading tacklers, with senior end Michael Klein proving to be one of the area's best.

"We've played great defense all year," said Noonan. "We've got some experience over there and coach Mac (defensive coordinator Willie McLendon) is getting the most out of them.

"The biggest thing for us is we're taking care of the little things now. We've improved each week and we understand that our record is what it is because we didn't take care of certain situations in very tight games."

Wando now faces the toughest part of its schedule, with games against Beaufort, Summerville, Goose Creek, Fort Dorchester and Stratford to follow Friday night's clash with the fourth-ranked Stags.

"The elite teams will start to step forward now and we'll see where we stand," said Noonan. "AAAA football is tough down here and it's never easy. We have to try to compete and put ourselves in a position to win the game in the fourth quarter. That's easier said than done, but our players will battle. We'll see what happens."