By ADAM WELCH
pressbox1.com

West Carroll's 34-26 loss to visiting Fulton City, Ky. could be considered by War Eagle fans a moral victory.

The Bulldogs were heavily favored by most people outside the War Eagle Nation, but West Carroll gave Fulton City more than it had expected. Big plays lifted Fulton's offense and spoiled what was, for a good portion of the night, a decent defensive effort by West Carroll. But that wasn't the only cause for hope Friday.

The night was filled with excitement and emotion that is often part of a home opener, but there was more to it. War Eagle team member Jay Rogers collapsed in his home on August 24 and was airlifted to Memphis Le Bonheur where he was in intensive care throughout the week.

Rogers, a junior at West Carroll High School, is a cancer survivor who continues to battle the disease. According to doctors at Le Bonheur and sources close to the family, tests revealed that Jay’s cancer has returned. Despite Jay’s health problems, he remains positive. In fact, upon entering his intensive care unit, he wanted to know how the team looked this week in practice and how they would do against Fulton City. He probably will be pleased with the team's improvement, but not necessarily the final score.

As Jay recovered in the hospital, the War Eagles dedicated their 2008 home-opener to him as they each had a number 67 sticker on their helmets and each end zone was painted with the number 67 in honor of Jay.

Throughout the game, the War Eagles defense contained Fulton City quarterback Aaron Wilson and running back Jacquise Lockett at times, but the tandem managed to break big runs when it counted. The two were the Bulldogs total offense as they combined for 313 yards and five scores on the night. Three of the scores were on runs from 40-plus yards out.

West Carroll coach Josh Fronabarger was a little frustrated by his team's inconsistency against the Bulldogs.

“We’ve got to tackle better,” he said. “We’d play good defensively for three or four plays and then we’d miss four or five tackles. We’ll get better at that, but that’s the difference in the football game tonight; we didn’t tackle well enough to win.”

On a bright note for War Eagle fans, West Carroll’s special teams electrified the fans with a 90-yard run by Avery Fuller early in the second quarter and late in the game, the War Eagles recovered an on-side kick that eventually set up a 13-yard draw play by quarterback Cody Nelson for the final score of the night.

During the game, Nelson scored on a 14-yard touchdown run prior to halftime, cutting into the Bulldogs’ 20-14 lead and hooked up with Fuller on a play-action pass down the right sideline for a 50-four-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The War Eagle offense moved the ball effectively against Fulton City, but costly miscues such as a lost fumble on the Bulldogs’ 20 yard line in the first quarter turned the War Eagles halted a potential scoring drive.

Although Fronabarger and the team finished with a moral victory, the team is hungry for a lot more than that.

“The team is going to continue to work hard and work toward getting a win,” said Fronabarger. “Again, you can’t say enough about the effort the team’s giving. We had some chances tonight for the team to hang their heads. Instead, we came back to have a pass play for a touchdown, recovered an onside kick and scored once again. We’re going to continue to play hard.”

West Carroll now has two weeks to heal their minor injuries and prepare their game plan, thanks to an open date, before hosting the Fayette Academy Vikings. The Vikings are coming off a 24-14 loss to Jackson Christian School and will host Halls on September 5 prior to battling the War Eagles on September 12. Prior to the Fayette Academy and West Carroll game, West Carroll homecoming festivities will begin at 7 p.m.