The Scottsburg Warriors defended their home turf Friday night, taking down the North Harrison Cougars 21-14 in a hard-fought Mid-Southern Conference matchup. Quarterback Nathan Byrd directed the Warriors’ offense with efficiency, completing 9 of 20 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He spread the ball around, connecting with Matthew Wickey (25 yards, TD), Luke Hamilton (22 yards, TD), and Garrett Boling (22 yards, TD) for scores. On the ground, Landon Shuck provided the spark, carrying the ball 25 times for 141 yards and a touchdown. He also added a 24-yard reception, finishing with 165 all-purpose yards to pace the offense. Wickey contributed in multiple phases, scoring a touchdown, hauling in a two-point conversion, and adding 45 kick return yards. Boling chipped in 49 total yards between rushing, receiving, and special teams work. Defensively, the Warriors showed toughness when it mattered most. Boling anchored the unit with a game-high 19 tackles, including 4 tackles for loss and a sack, while also coming up with a key interception returned 23 yards. Jacob June added 7 tackles and a sack, Shuck tallied 7 stops, and Josh Thomas and Hamilton each recorded 6 tackles. Rikelme Pinto-Herrera also grabbed an interception as the Warriors forced multiple turnovers to stall Cougar drives. Special teams played a role as well, with Tucker Doriot going 1-for-1 on extra points and handling kickoff duties. Scottsburg built an early 7-0 lead, stretched it to 13-7 by halftime, and delivered the decisive blow in the third quarter with Byrd’s third touchdown pass and Wickey’s two-point conversion to make it 21-7. North Harrison pulled within a touchdown late, but the Warrior defense slammed the door to secure the victory. With the win, Scottsburg improves its momentum heading into the heart of the season, showing off a balanced attack on offense and a gritty, opportunistic defense. The Warriors travel to MSC rival Salem on Friday, September 5th for the Highway 56 “Jay Ray” Classic.