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Wyoming East’s relentless ground game wore down Summers County.

Jacob Summe ran for 196 yards, and Chris Cecil scored three touchdowns and kicked a field goal as the Warriors knocked off the No. 6 and previously unbeaten Bobcats, 33-20, on Friday night at New Richmond.

East racked up over 300 rushing yards and was usually only stopped by its own mistakes.

“Our game was just to come out and run over them,” said Warriors coach Gary Poindexter. “We have a lot of confidence in our offensive line because of their conditioning and strength.”

It was the most important football contest the two had ever played against each other. But it was more important for the Warriors, who couldn’t afford a second loss this early in the season.

The game looked like a track meet early on, with three touchdowns scored in the first seven minutes.

SC struck on its opening drive, when Isaiah Brown got behind the defense along the Bobcast sideline. He caught a pass from T.J. Smith for a 40-yard touchdown play. Brown ran for the conversion to make it 8-0.

East (3-1) answered with a five-play, 61-yard scoring march. Summe and Cecil had two carries each to move the sticks to the Bobcat 25.

Summe broke out to his left for a 25-yard TD run.

Cecil’s PAT kick made it 8-7 with 8:04 showing.

Minutes later, the Warriors’ Jeffrey Dishmon recovered a fumble at the SC 22.

Cecil rambled 16 yards and, two plays later, plunged into the end zone from two yards out. That made it 13-8, and WEHS wouldn’t trail again.

East continued to move the ball with success, but one second quarter series was killed by a penalty and sack and another when the Warriors were stopped on fourth and inches at the SC 15.

The Bobcats, running out of a shotgun formation, struggled with high snaps all nights, and one went over the Smith’s head head and into the end zone. East players tackled him there for a safety with 4:48 to go in the half.

SC’s Buddy Vega recovered an East fumble, setting up a three-play scoring drive. Smith went 46 yards for six late in the half to cut the margin to 15-14.

“At halftime, we said we had a bunch of little mistakes and wanted to clean that up in the second half,” stated Poindexter.

A fake punt on East’s first series of the third quarter led to the Warriors’ next score.

Ty Treadway went 30-yards plus, then was hit out of bounds to move the ball to the SC 17.

“Coach (Kevin) Hedinger does a great job with special teams,” Poindexter commented, “and he saw something there that he knew would work.”

Summe took it to the eight and then picked up two more yards for first and goal.

Cecil ran it in on third and goal and kicked the PAT to extend the margin to 22-14.

“Our offensive line does a great job,” Cecil said.

East went 60 yards in eight plays on its next series.

Two runs by Summe, a seven-yard completion from Aaron Griffith to Christian Hedinger and a blocking in the back penalty on SC moved the ball to the Bobcats 25.

The Warriors reached the one-yard line, and Cecil booted a 19-yard field goal with 3:04 on the clock to make it a two-possession game.

Summers County wasn’t through, answering with a scoring march which culminated in Isaiah Brown’s four-yard TD rush just before the third period ended.

East started a 76-yard drive, its longest of the night, and rolled methodically down the field. On second and eight at the SC 23, Griffith sprung loose and was eventually marked out half a yard shy of the goal line.

Cecil ran it in on the next play, and Summe ran for the conversion. It was 33-20.

The Bobcats reached the East 10 with less than a minute to go and ended with Smith being sacked.

“I think this will really help make a difference and move up in the rankings,” Summe remarked.

Summe had 196 yards on 36 attempts, and Cecil ran for 72 yards on 15 carries. Dishmon and Coty Bishop had fumble recoveries.

Smith ran for 95 yards on 19 carries for SC.

The Warriors visit Mount View this Friday. “We just have to stay focused and continue to play like we have been,” Cecil said.