But with 1:14 left in the game, with Lackawanna leading 26-15 (en route to a 32-15 win) both sides were reminded that there are far more serious things to worry about.

Dunkirk’s Timmy Warrior went down with an injury as Lackawanna was marching on one last scoring drive in the final moments of the contest.

The injury halted the game in its tracks, as the training staff, coaches and members of the Dunkirk Fire Department surrounded Warrior on the field.

At first, players, cheerleaders and fans were not sure of the severity of the injury. Warrior himself left the game hobbled on several occasions, including once because of cramps, but the final time he was taken off on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance. Wearing a neck brace, Warrior raised his arm to ease the nerves of the small crowd remaining in the stands.

Dunkirk quarterback Hayven Smith (13) scrambles during Friday’s game against the Lackawanna Steelers at Dunkirk High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Marauders’ head coach Edwin Gomez, a member of the Dunkirk Police Department, said after the game that Warrior suffered a neck injury. Warrior had feeling throughout his extremities and remained conscious as he was taken off, en route to the hospital.

“It’s concerning when you see a teammate go down with a scary injury like that,” Gomez said. “Whether it be precautionary or not, you never know the depth of it. It’s definitely concerning.”

While the extent of the injury was unknown at the time, Gomez recognized the mood of the entire stadium changed as Warrior remained down on the field for a lengthy period of time.

“He’s a tough kid. He’s one of those kids that will tell you to your face, ‘I’m good, Coach!’ even when he’s not,” Gomez said of Warrior. “He’s one of those kids that wants to be on the field every single time. We’re going to go check on him and make sure he’s OK.”

Lackawanna (3-2, 3-1) added a late touchdown after play resumed, but Dunkirk (1-4, 1-4) was in the game for the majority of the night. That was even considering that last night marked a second straight week of a catastrophic start to the game — with each team’s opening drive resulting in a touchdown for Lackawanna. The Steelers took a fumble back to the house for a touchdown to jump ahead 14-0, just 4:30 into the game.

Dunkirk, however, responded with a strong remainder of the first half. Anthony Piede got the Marauders on the board with a 26-yard touchdown reception on fourth down with 6:11 left in the first half. Liam McQuiggan came up with an interception to stop Lackawanna on a drive with less than a minute left in the half, and the Marauders entered halftime down just one possession, 14-7.

“We were in this game,” Gomez said. “This game was a game. We have the athletes to compete in this division. Unfortunately, we just can’t get out of our own way.”

Things quickly spiraled in the second half, as two Dunkirk players were ejected for personal fouls. The second of the two, Piede, was ejected for allegedly throwing a punch during a 2-point conversion attempt by the Steelers. Gomez said after the game that he will evaluate a potential appeal of the decision, which would rule Piede out from next week’s game if the decision stands. Multiple players and coaches on the sideline took issue with the call, which Gomez characterized as “questionable.”

Both sides were plagued by penalties all night long. At one point, Lackawanna’s coaches demanded their team do pushups on the field during a timeout following one of several personal fouls against the Steelers.

In the end, while Dunkirk remained in the game throughout — and Lackawanna won the contest by multiple possessions — neither team left the field with a performance to celebrate.

“We’ve just got to bounce back from this and get ready for next week,” Gomez said.

Plenty of other groups honored Friday did have reason to celebrate, however, as youth football, cheerleading and dance teams were honored throughout the night. The halftime show included introductions of various youth teams and a dance performance from the Dunkirk Intermediate School Dance Team, led by coach Ashley DeJohn. The Dunkirk cheerleaders capped off the show with a performance of their own immediately afterward.

Up next, the Marauders travel to Olean next Friday for a Class B2 matchup with the Huskies. Lackawanna plays at Maryvale on Thursday. Prior to that, however, the Marauders — banged up as they are — will be volunteering this weekend to help the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County as it prepares for fall programming to kick off later this month.