Asheville – (WLOS) The 2023 Erwin Warriors football season was not one that sat well with the team. A 4-7 record didn’t offer much optimism for the upcoming season, unless you knew the whole story.

“Last year was unusual; we’re not used to losing seasons, so they had a bad taste in their mouths all winter,” explained head coach Rodney Pruett. “We saw they had a chance to be special with the core coming back, Caden (Ingle) being a year older. They fight, they work hard, they’re sponges that soak up everything we coach them.”

The first clue was a stinging loss to Mountain Heritage in week two, one of the teams expected to contend for a state title his year and widely considered the best team during the preseason. The eye opener was the following week when the Warriors won a barn-burner against Brevard, another top team, 56-42.

Proof that something special was brewing was every game after that. Erwin continued to win, beating teams like West Henderson, who shut them out 40-10 in ’23.

“How we came together,” senior center Nathaniel Brown assessed how the team has come back in a year. “We were together all summer and worked as a team.”

“We’re just better, with more heart, with more grit,” added fellow senior wide receiver Michael Petty. “We want to win. We’re not just stretching for anything and we have really good chemistry.”

All the evidence was gathered into a winning case for the Mountain Athletic Conference championship. The Warriors secured the title in the final week of the season, topping rival AC Reynolds 28-21, ending a 24-year conference title drought.

“From the way we came last year from a 4-7 season to 8-1, to beat almost everyone people thought we couldn’t beat, it just feels great,” Petty smiled.

While any conference title is impressive, like the year of COVID, this one will be viewed differently. Erwin, along with the rest of their Buncombe County Conference peers, saw their seasons come to a halt when Helene passed on September 27th.

“With the devastation of Helene and just stopping the season when we were playing at a high level, I was concerned and kind of stressed that we’re not going to be able to, if we even get these kids back, get them to compete at a high level.” , Pruett acknowledged.

The Warriors didn’t seem to lose a beat, other than a little rust in their first game back against TC Roberson after four weeks off. Much of that is due to the prolific nature of the offense, led by sophomore quarterback Ingle, who threw for 2,306 yards and 28 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions.

Petty leads the receiving corps with 1,031 yards and 14 touchdowns, while junior Lawson Reynolds has 813 and 11 carries to his credit.

Milky Ray is averaging better than ten yards a carry as he has racked up 897 yards and 11 scores on the ground.

“It’s an ‘Us, not Me’ mentality,” Pruett said. “They know they’re all going to get their touch, we’re going to spread the ball around and we’re going to be balanced.”

“We’re all one. We’re a chain,” Petty described. “So we’re always very happy for each other and we hold each other up.”

Overlooked among the video game numbers is the offensive line, led by Brown, who has been a four-year starter.

“It’s great to be a part of it,” shrugged Brown. “We’re not in the paper, but we’re kicking ass.”

The season has already been historic, but there is a chance that even more will be added to the 2024 chapter of Erwin football. Thanks to their remarkable 8-1 season, the Warriors enter the 3A state playoffs as the number one seed in the West bracket.

“I told them in the locker room before we came here today, ‘You put yourself in this position. You earned it. You’ve done your best so far, but now it’s zero and zero; records do not. “it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter the seeding, it’s just a one-game playoff,” Pruett said. “You win and you go on, or you lose and you don’t.”

For Petty, Brown and the other seniors, keeping their eyes on the prize is simple.

“Just to be one and oh after the week,” Brown summed up.

“Being perfect in practice, practicing like we’ve been doing all year for teams like Reynolds and Mountain Heritage, those tough teams that we’ve played,” Petty said. “It’s just keeping your head on straight and eliminating the little mistakes.”

The Warriors’ postseason quest begins Friday night when they host Parkwood at 7 p.m.