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This offense looks familiar
Brownstown coach compares pass-happy Heritage Christian to Manning and Colts
Brownstown Central High School football coach Reed May said he was familiar with the Heritage Christian offense . . . he watches it every Sunday on television.
"When we put (the Heritage Christian game tape) in on Saturday, I said, 'I didn't know the Indianapolis Colts played high school football,' " May said. "We haven't seen a team that throws nearly as well as they do."
May was joking, of course. Heritage Christian quarterback Jackson Kirtley, after all, is having a better year than Peyton Manning.
Kirtley has thrown for 3,195 yards and 42 touchdowns with six interceptions. (In comparison, Manning has thrown for 2,568 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions, albeit against a little better competition.)
Kirtley also has big targets in 6-2, 210-pound Morgan Cook (941 yards, 16 touchdowns), 6-5 Tommy Eggleston (881 yards, 12 touchdowns) and 6-4 Michael Breiner (718 yards, nine touchdowns).
"There's no way we can get the same look in practice," Reed said of the Eagles' size at receiver.
"I asked the basketball coach to cancel practice this week so I could use his kids."
Carmel hosts improved foe
Class 5A No. 3 Carmel, 12-1 and the defending state champion, will host unranked Penn (10-3) at 7:30 p.m. today in semistate action.
After losing three of its first four games, Penn has won nine consecutive games, including a 19-0 victory over Merrillville in the regional.
In addition to a strong defense, Carmel coach Mo Moriarity said Penn runs the ball effectively.
"They have a good play-action pass," he said.
"They're a sound football team. They're not going to beat themselves. You're going to have to beat them."
Chatard faces surging team
When 3A No. 5 Evansville Memorial opened the season 2-2, its record dating to Oct. 16, 2004, was 10-28. It has since won nine straight games to reach today's semistate championship against visiting No. 1 Bishop Chatard (11-1) at 7:30 p.m.
Of those 10 victories, four came in sectionals the past two seasons as the Tigers overcame 1-8 regular seasons to reach the sectional title game. Eight of those 28 losses were by seven points or fewer while Evansville Memorial has won four such games this season.
Ritter faces mirror image
A look at the results shows one definitive aspect about Class A No. 1 Cardinal Ritter's semistate game at No. 4 Linton-Stockton: These teams couldn't be more similar. Both are 13-0. Both have outscored opponents by nearly 30 points per game. Ritter has 10 games of 40-plus points, Linton-Stockton has six. Linton-Stockton has five shutouts this year, Ritter three. Plus, each team has handed five opponents their first loss. One of them will make that six tonight.
Cardinal Ritter coach Ty Hunt is expecting a tough game, and not just from the Miners.
"They have a fan base down there that's comparable to none other, as far as small communities," Hunt said. "It's almost like they shut down the town, the local cafe, and everybody goes to the football game."
Home sweet home
Class A No. 3 Sheridan (12-1) hosts No. 7 Southern Wells (13-0) at 7:30 p.m. today. One more win puts the Blackhawks in the state title game for the fourth consecutive season.
"It's the seniors' last time playing on our home field so we'll be pretty pumped up," said Sheridan tackle Dayne Jessup, a four-year offensive line starter who also plays on the defensive line.
Star reporters Mark Ambrogi, Patrick Dorsey, Nat Newell and Michael Pointer contributed to this story.
Braves look forward to semistate at Heritage Christian
November 20, 2008
BROWNSTOWN - Senior members of the Brownstown Central football team say they are eagerly looking forward to the biggest game of their careers.
The Braves are preparing for a semistate battle against Heritage Christian that will be played at 7:30 Friday on the Eagles' field.
Heritage Christian is located at 6401 East 75th street on the northeast side of Indianapolis.
Quarterback and defensive back Cam Cockerham said he feels like the team has had a good week of preparation. "We need to play well and make the adjustments we have to make during the game."
The Eagles have passed for over 2,900 yards, and Cockerham said, "We just have to react to the ball and be physical with their receivers. We've got to mix it up a lot on defense.
"Usually the best defense is a good offense. We've got to control the ball. The film we've seen, teams haven't thrown much against them."
Cockerham recalled he was in the stands in 2004 when the Braves faced Tri-West in the semistate. "It's a great opportunity for us."
Cockerham said the Braves are a plus 14 in turnover ratio for the season, and he would like to see that number improve Friday night.
Defensive lineman Ethan Martin said, "We need to hit them off the line of scrimmage so they can't get to their (pass routes). I think we'll be able to get a good pass rush.
"We need to mix it up a lot on defense, and I don't think they'll be able to read us. It is going to come down to who can move the ball better and turnovers.
"This is the second time Brownstown has been to the semistate and I'm looking forward to it."
Offensive tackle Patrick Friel said, "We're smaller than a lot of other teams so we try to use our speed and technique to our advantage all year, like Seymour and Providence, and other teams that are bigger than us."
He said he is excited to be going to the semistate and as he looks back on the sectional and regional wins he said, "It was great all the work we put in during the off-season, all the summer weights, it all built up to this. To come away winners like we have it shows what us seniors are made of, and what we've worked for.
"We've got to control the line like we have the past couple weeks and execute. Coach always gives us a good game plan. We've just got to execute it. If we do, we should be able to move the ball."
Receiver Stuart Robison said he's hoping for dry weather. "Hopefully the weather is all right so we can pass the ball. If it's not we'll just have to count on the run game, and execute our blocking rules. I just want to run good routes and get open so I can catch the ball.
"I had some blocks in there (at Southridge) on running plays. I think I did my part. This is really exciting for me. It is a great opportunity being only the second team ever to play in a semistate game for Brownstown."
Robison described the sectional and regional wins as "an awesome feeling being part of the team. Last year we didn't win anything, and this year to win sectional and regional is exciting."
May said, in facing the Eagles, he kind of feels like he is preparing for the Indianapolis Colts.
"We're playing the Indianapolis Colts of high school football. When you watch them on film it's like watching the Colts. They are a shotgun team, and they've got four wide outs, 6-5, 6-4, 6-3, and 6-foot.
"I asked coach (Dave) Benter if he could cancel basketball practice this week so I could borrow his guys for wide receivers."
In piling up a record of 12-1 the Eagles have put up some impressive numbers. They lost to Indianapolis Ritter 28-21 in the final game of the regular season. They rallied to beat Speedway 27-21 in the regional last week.
The Eagles have posted four shutouts and allowed five other teams only one touchdown. They are averaging 40.5 points while giving up 8.6 per game.
"They are a heck of a football team," May said. "They do a great job with their offensive scheme, and defensively they haven't given up a lot of points."
Quarterback (6-4) Jack Kirtley has completed 203 of 302 passes for 2,921 yards and 39 touchdown with 5 interceptions.
Two of those receivers May were talking about are Morgan Cook, with 63 catches for 841 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Tommy Eggelston, with 36 catches for 586 yards and six scores.
The linebackers make up the heart of the Heritage defense with three of them having over 120 tackles each. Middle linebacker Jon Nix has 91 tackles and 50 assists for 141 total, and outside linebackers Christian Rector has 83-44-127, and Eric Burke has 72-50-122.
"They were state runner ups last year for a reason," May said. " They'll spread you out with four or five wide outs, and they're going to throw the ball and (pass defense) hasn't been our strong suit, so we're going to have to play better pass defense.
"The good thing is, we saw some good quarterbacks this summer from Carmel and Columbus East, but that's 7-on-7. That's why we do the things in the summer that we do, to prepare us for a team like this. Hopefully, we'll get a good evaluation on them from the film. The thing is, in the shotgun you've got a long way to get there.
"We've got to plan defensively, and any time you play a team that does what they do, you've got to mix it up.
"The key in my mind is, can we move the ball. Our offensive line has done a pretty good job all year, and hopefully they can keep doing it Friday night. When there are only four 2A teams left in the state, and 20 altogether, they're all going to be good."
Southridge game: "One of their coaches made the comment that it didn't even look like the mud slowed us down. He told our coaches in the press box, and that is impressive. I told our players ‘when you were little kids you went out and played football in the mud. Go out and play football in the mud' and I thought our kids responded real well. Defensively we flew to the ball."
Special awards for Southridge: Offensive back: Stucker, off. line: Stucker, def line-inside LB Bowling, def back-outside LB: Hurley: special teams-Lewis, scout team: Erwin; black jersey winners: Hurley, Stucker, Baker, Bowling.
Coach May Radio Interview With Gridiron Digest
Coach May discusses the Southridge win, upcoming Heritage Christian game, and other topics with Gridiron Digest. To access the full interview, click on the link below.
Reed May Interview With Gridiron Digest
Braves run over Raiders to capture second football regional
November 15, 2008
HUNTINGBURG - The rain never quit on Friday night, and neither did Brownstown Central's football team.
Shaking
off unthinkable field conditions and making the most of repeated
mistakes by Southridge, the Braves (11-1) pulled away to a convincing
26-6 victory and claimed the second regional title in school history.
Brownstown last won a regional in 2004, also against Southridge.
"It's just great to win," BC head coach Reed May said. "The
first regional got the monkey off our backs. Now we have two regionals
and we're in the Final Four. Who knows what can happen now?"
Friday's victory propels Brownstown into next week's semistate.
The Braves will hit the road for a second straight week to take on
Heritage Christian, a 27-21 winner over Speedway.
Heritage Christian (12-1), the state's Class 2A runner-up last year, is ranked in the Top 5 in both the coaches' and AP polls.
To
earn a spot in the semistate, Brownstown dominated Southridge on both
sides of the ball despite playing through steady rainfall on a field
that resembled a rice paddy.
Southridge (11-2) entered the regional averaging 36 points, but
managed just a single touchdown against BC. Of their nine possessions
on Friday, just one traveled farther than 30 yards.
Brownstown, on the other hand, had little trouble moving the
ball on a Southridge team that allowed just 11 points per game this
season. The Braves ended the game with 250 yards on the ground.
BC's 26 points is the second-highest point total given up by the Raiders this season.
"I thought I'd be lucky to get 100 yards," BC running back Teddy
Stucker said. "Their defense is tough. They'll hit you in the mouth. We
knew we'd have to power the ball and man up."
Stucker not only reached the 100-yard mark for the 10th time
this season, he single-handedly out-rushed Southridge by running for
173 yards on 26 carries. The Raiders, collectively, ran for 112 yards
on 36 attempts.
Stucker set the tone defensively and offensively for
BC. On the game's first play, he dropped Southridge running back Brent
Duncan for a seven-yard loss.
More dramatic was the tone Stucker set on offense. On
Brownstown's first offensive play, the senior ran through two
Southridge defenders and carried the ball 74 yards for a touchdown with
9:24 left in the first quarter.
"That gave us a lot of energy," Stucker said of his run. "It was
huge to set the tone like that. It was just awesome blocking by
everyone, the linemen, the slots and our wide-outs. Everyone."
Southridge bounced back less than four minutes later when Brett
Roesner broke through BC's line for a 39-yard TD that narrowed the
score to 7-6.
Thereafter, however, Southridge faltered. Due to a disciplinary
suspension, the Raiders' senior quarterback Nick Rust never saw the
field on Friday. Instead, sophomore Broc Roesner got his first start.
Roesner's inexperience showed in seven Southridge fumbles, most
on bad snaps, and in multiple broken plays. Brownstown took full
advantage, recovering four of those fumbles and converting two of them
into touchdowns.
To May, the weather, the field conditions and Southridge's quarterback situation are all part of the postseason drama.
"This time of year, it comes down to survival of the fittest,"
May said. "We had to play a new center (Andrew Allman) due to Logan
(Mills') concussion. We didn't have any fumbled snaps. We just survived
the elements better than they did."
Brownstown expanded its lead to 13-6 with 5:49 left in the first
half when Blaze Hurley capped an impressive 67-yard, 12-play drive with
a four-yard touchdown run.
Hurley enjoyed another strong game with 78 rushing yards and two TDs on 14 carries.
The Braves started putting the game away shortly after halftime.
On the opening possession of the third quarter, BC assembled another
strong drive, moving 70 yards in nine plays. Stucker scored from 14
yards out on a pitch to the right, giving the Braves a 20-6 advantage.
With less than seven minutes left, Cam Cockerham clinched the game for BC when he recovered one of Southridge's fumbles at
the BC 24 and galloped 72 yards to the Southridge 4-yard line. Hurley
plunged in from three yards out to push the Braves in front 26-6.
For Cockerham, a senior, rebounding from a disappointing 2007
season and an early season loss to Charlestown was never a question.
"There was never a doubt in my mind, because of the way we
worked," Cockerham said. "And, because we've known each other for 17
years."
Stucker agreed, saying past struggles only made the Braves stronger.
"Sometimes a loss is the best thing that can happen to you," he said. "We've progressively gotten better as the season went on."
Braves run over Raiders
From a Courier & Press correspondent
Saturday, November 15, 2008
HUNTINGBURG, Ind. — Southridge couldn't hang on to the football, and Brownstown Central made the Raiders pay on Friday night.
"Bottom line, we had our opportunities and didn't convert, and
that's how it went all night," said Southridge coach Kelly Murphy.
Stucker struck early, racing 74 yards for a touchdown with just 9:24
left in the first quarter. Although the Raiders countered with a
touchdown just four minutes later, a two-point conversion run failed,
and that was that.
The victory put Brownstown Central (11-1) into next week's semistate
round against Heritage Christian (13-1), a 27-21 winner over Speedway.
Southridge finished with a 12-2 record.
After Brett Roesner's TD for the Raiders, followed by the failed
conversion, Brownstown added another score with 5:49 left in the first
half with Blaze Hurley ran in from 5 yards out. Two second-half scores
stretched out the final margin.
"The kids played their hardest; they did everything they possibly
could have to win the game," said Murphy. "We just got beat by a better
team, and when that happens, you can walk off the field with your head
up."
The Braves rushed for 240 yards and held Southridge to 134 total yards.
Rust revs up the Raiders, Southridge adds aerials to its offensive arsenal
By Drew Bruno
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
After Nick Rust spent the past two years as his backup quarterback, Southridge coach Kelly Murphy knew the senior would be prepared for what opposing defenses would throw at him.
Rust had shown he could adjust to coverages going against the Raiders' No. 1 defense in practice, and he had the physical tools to succeed.
"But his leadership," Murphy said, "we didn't know how he would respond."
So far, so good. Rust has led his team to its third consecutive sectional championship. Southridge, 11-1 and ranked No. 7 in the state, hosts Brownstown Central (10-1) at 6 p.m. CST Friday in a Class 2A regional championship game.
"It's real special," Murphy said of the program's fifth regional appearance this decade. "Each team has a different makeup, a different dynamic that makes it so unique. This year is a lot different than last year."
For evidence, look no further than quarterback. Last year's team passed for fewer than 900 yards. Rust has thrown for nearly 1,500 and has 18 passing touchdowns to augment what is again a powerful running attack out of the Wing-T formation.
But it's been the senior's ability to keep on an even keel that's impressed Murphy as much as the gaudy numbers, any concerns he had going away as he watched Rust put away one of the Raiders' biggest rivals.
"The Jasper game is where he really gained that confidence," Murphy said of the Aug. 29 meeting Southridge won 27-21. "He was 7-of-9 or 8-of-9 in the first half and it was like, 'Hey, I can do this.'
"He's calm and cool, doesn't get too excited and never too down on himself. That's the best part about him right now."
And he's one of many parts playing well right now.
Senior runners Brett Roesner and Brent Duncan help make the offense potent, and they've been consistent throughout the season. The defense lagged briefly at the start of the year but turned that around in a big way.
The Raiders' only loss came at North Posey when they gave up 26 points.
"Defense is all about passion and enthusiasm," Murphy said. "I felt like we were lacking that passion."
After that 26-19 overtime loss, Southridge gave up a total of 26 points the next six weeks — never giving up double-digit points during that span that included a pair of shutouts.
Leading the way all season have been defensive linemen Josh Lichlyter, Casey Mehringer and Damon Buechler, all three seniors and returning starters from last year's team that advanced to semistate. "You can see it," Murphy said of his team's level of passion now, "you know it's there."
It will have to be against a Brownstown team that averages more than 38 points per contest. But solid defense and running the football has been the formula for Southridge's success the past two regionals.
A multi-talented leader behind center just adds a new dimension. "When he's in the huddle the players believe in him," Murphy said of Rust. "It's allowed us to do so many different things."
The Great Pumpkin
To Jared Werth, the great pumpkin. I have deleted your post twice and frankly I have more important things to do. I do not like your top 10 things. Coach May
Braves step up game in championship win
November 8, 2008
BROWNSTOWN
- The Brownstown Central football team knew they had to play well on
Friday night at Blevins Memorial Stadium against a good Paoli team to
claim another sectional title.
For the Braves, they were seeking some comfort after losing in the finals a year ago.
This time around, the Braves' defense stepped up when it needed to
as they claimed the 28-21 win over the Rams to win their sixth
sectional crown in 10 years. The Braves have the third best record in
the state over the past 10 years (107-17).
"We played a great football team tonight," Braves coach Reed May
said. "Next year they have everybody back, so I am glad we got them
this year. They will be good next year and they have a great offensive
scheme. We had to make about three or four adjustments during the game
to try and slow them down.
"They do a nice job with their offense and it was tough. Hopefully
if we play them again next year we will have a better plan. Basically,
everything that we had planned we had to change just because they
spread us out and their quarterback did a good job with their offense."
On this night, the Braves' defense had to make some big plays and
they did just that, but their defense also cost them late in the fourth
quarter. The Rams were on the Braves' 34-yard line facing a fourth and
10, but the Braves were flagged for a passing interference call to give
the Rams a first down and new life at the 19-yard line.
Rams junior quarterback Logan Laswell carried the team in the first
half and contined his leadership in the final quarter. The Rams picked
up another first down after the penalty and Laswell drove for more
yards. With a fourth and goal from the five-yard line, Laswell was
forced out of the pocket and was pressured by a slew of Braves
defenders, and his pass in the end zone was knocked down by the Braves'
Kaeler Persinger.
The Braves then took over and ran out the clock to preserve the win.
"I was just man-to-man on the last play," Persinger said. "I turned
around and saw their quarterback scrambling and then I saw the receiver
running in the back of the end zone so I knew I had to get in front of
him. He threw the ball, so I just went after it.
"It wasn't good
when we got that passing interference call and I didn't think it was
passing interference, but just good defense. I knew I had to knock the
ball down, and then when we got the ball back we had to take care of
the ball."
Laswell finished the game with 34 carries for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
In the first quarter, the Braves were driving in Paoli territory
when the ball was knocked loose, but senior Coley Brown was able to
recover. Three plays later Teddy Stucker scored from one yard out to
put the Braves on top 7-0.
According to Brown, that fumble recovery was a huge play that helped
the Braves continue their drive. "It was really big when I recovered
the fumble," Brown said. "If we didn't get the ball back they might
have went down the field and scored, and changed the outcome of the
game."
Brown also had a 41-yard pass from Cam Cockerham in the second
quarter which set up a Blaze Hurley touchdown run with 37 seconds until
halftime.
"I just thought catch the ball and run," Brown said of his catch.
"We didn't want to treat Paoli lightly because we knew they could beat
us, so we didn't practice hard. This means a lot since we didn't win it
last year, but we could've. I was just hoping Persinger would knock
down that pass."
Stucker led the Braves with 25 carries for 152 yards with two
touchdowns and Hurley rushed the ball 16 times for 100 yards and two
touchdowns.
With two players like Stucker and Hurley in the backfield, Cockerham
just likes to mix things up when he hands the ball off. It also helps
out the offense when both guys run for 100 yards in the same game.
Through three quarters, Laswell had 22 carries for 190 yards, but
the Braves defense stepped up. "I think we finally realized our
adjustments in the fourth quarter and kind of had a scent of what he
was going to do," Cockerham said. "He kind of gave it away. I knew he
had that many yards, but I didn't realize he was that quick."
"We knew it was a bad call, but stuff happens and you have to roll
with it and play football. That was huge when he knocked down that last
pass but we put a lot of pressure on him and forced him to throw the
ball."
The Braves improved to 10-1 on the year and they will travel to play
Southridge on Friday night in the regional. Southridge defeated North
Posey 42-28 in sectional 32. Southridge was the state runner-up in
Class 2A two years ago, which was the year they defeated the Braves
32-7 in the regional. The Rams concluded their season with a 10-2
record.
Sectional champs: Braves top Paoli for sectional title
November 8, 2008
BROWNSTOWN
-Brownstown Central's football team applied just the right amount of
defensive pressure at just the right time on Friday night, lifting the
Braves to a hard-fought 28-21 victory over Paoli in the Class 2A
Sectional 31 championship.
After getting knocked around by Paoli's offense, particularly by its
slippery quarterback Logan Laswell, the Braves (10-1) held the Rams
(10-2) scoreless over the game's final 20 minutes.
Kaeler Persinger cemented the Braves' sectional title by disrupting
a Laswell pass in the end zone on a fourth-and-5 play with just 5:31
left in the game.
"We had to make an adjustment in the second quarter, then review it
at half-time and make another adjustment in the third quarter - and
that finally worked," Brownstown head coach Reed May said. "Paoli's a
great football team. They've got everyone coming back next year. We're
lucky to beat them this year."
The Rams scored 21 points and gained 218 yards on 39 plays by the
mid-point of the third quarter. On their final three possessions,
however, Paoli managed just 68 yards on 23 plays.
Ram QB Laswell opened the game by running for 194 yards on his first
22 carries, but managed just 30 yards on his last 12 attempts.
"We finally realized what adjustments we needed," said BC senior Cam
Cockerham, who was assigned to shadow Laswell in the second half. "We
started to get a sense for what (Laswell) was going to do."
Friday's victory was Brownstown's seventh sectional title in 10
years and the eighth in May's 16 seasons as BC's head coach. The Braves
earned a spot in next week's regional and will travel to Southridge
(11-1), which defeated North Posey 42-28 in the Sectional 32 title game.
"I think this defines us," BC's Teddy Stucker said of his fellow
seniors. "We knew we could bounce back (from a 21-14 deficit). Ever
since middle school, we've won a lot of games in the fourth quarter."
Stucker gave Brownstown a 7-0 lead by bulling his way into the end zone from a yard out with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
From
the middle of the first period until the middle of the third, however,
Paoli made life difficult for Brownstown. The Rams scored on three of
their next four possessions and led 21-14 with 8:17 to go in the third
quarter.
Most dispiriting for the Braves was Paoli's four-play, 55-yard drive
in just 36 seconds to close out the first half. A 10-yard
Laswell-to-Tate Smith TD pass with just 1.8 seconds on the clock tied
the game at 14.
Paoli then stunned the Braves on their first second-half possession
when Laswell broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run that pushed the
Rams in front 21-14.
As Brownstown's defense gained its footing, the offense responded
immediately. On the Braves' next possession, Stucker found room to the
left for a 16-yard TD run to tie the game at 21 with 5:36 left in the
third quarter.
After a Paoli three-and-out, Brownstown kept up the pressure with a
six-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a five-yard Blaze Hurley TD run
with 2:33 left in the third.
Paoli took two more swings at Brownstown, but couldn't land a punch.
The Rams' penultimate drive ended at the BC 44 yard line when halfback
Ethan White failed to convert a fourth-and-3 play.
On their final drive, Paoli had a first-and-goal from the Braves' 8
yard line, but three Laswell runs only moved the ball to the 5. Laswell
then tried to find Michael Busick in the end zone on fourth down, but
had his pass broken up by Persinger.
Laswell finished the game with
224 yards on 34 carries. The Braves countered with 255 yards from their
backfield tandem of Stucker and Hurley. Stucker had 155 yards and two
TDs on 25 attempts. Hurley added 100 yards and two TDs on 16 carries.
BC quarterback Cockerham finished with 125 yards on five-for-nine passing.
--
Players of the game
Brownstown's defense. After being
battered by Paoli's offense for most of the game, especially by
quarterback Logan Laswell, BC's defense shut down the Rams over the
final 20 minutes of the game. Laswell was limited to 30 yards on 12
carries during Paoli's last three possessions, all of which ended
without the Rams reaching the end zone.
Play of the game
Kaeler Persinger's pass break-up in the
end zone on fourth-and-5 with 5:31 left in the game. Persinger's play
denied Paoli a game-tying touchdown and sealed BC's victory.
Stat of the game
7 for 10. Friday's game marked the Braves' 10 consecutive sectional final, a remarkable feat. BC has won seven of those games.
Erwin enjoys being part of Brownstown football success
November 6, 2008
BROWNSTOWN - Josh Erwin may not get to play as much football at Brownstown as other players, but he still feels like he had a hand in the Braves' wins.
Erwin keeps busy during the week as a member of the scout team "I like giving the defense a look and getting them ready for Friday night," he said.
Erwin is an offensive line and has played both guard and tackle. "I like hitting, I enjoy pass-blocking and I try to stay low and keep in front of my man."
Coach Reed May said, "Unfortunately he's not getting to play much his senior year. You've got to commend a kid like that. He paid his dues the last few years. He worked hard in the weight room, and did some things for us, but we have some kids that are better.
"He's a great kid. He plays scout team for us and gives us a great look on the scout team."
Erwin said the Braves lift weights three times a week, and he enjoys lifting. "I'm probably in the best shape of my life right now."
He began playing football his freshman year because of a friend, Teddy Stucker.
"He talked me into it and got me interested."
Erwin said he enjoyed attending live-in camp. "I learned a lot about blocking and got my technique down.
"We have a really strong offense and that throws a lot of defenses off. We're scoring a lot more this year, and our defense has really stepped up. Playing football has been a great experience and I've learned a lot of life's lessons."
May said, "He's a kid that is going to be successful in life because he works hard. Any time you go through what he does every day, and don't get to play much on Friday, you've got to commend a kid for that. You wish we had a whole team that worked like that. I'm really happy for Josh for what he's done for us.
"He's going to letter and he's going to have some rewarding experiences that he'll think fondly of. They've developed a bond in the locker room and he's made some great friends here."
Erwin said he is looking forward to track where he throws the shot pot and discus.
Braves battle Rams
The further you go in the tournament, the stronger the opponents become, and May said, "They are one of the best teams we've played. They've set a school record for most wins in a season this year. It's going to be a tough game."
Paoli, a member of the Patoka lake Conference, is 10-1. "I researched it and they haven't been in a sectional championship game from 1994 until now so the biggest thing is they are going to be sky-high." May said. "They're going to come in flying around and sometimes when you've have success like we've had you're so used to it you don't get excited about being in the sectional championship game like you should."
This is the 10th year in a row the Braves have been in the sectional championship game, and they have won seven "We need to close it out with a win this year which we didn't do last year. It goes back to what I asked the seniors and the sign we had up: we didn't win the county, we didn't win the conference and we didn't win the sectional."
This year the Braves beat Seymour, tied for the conference title (with a ruling from the MSC athletic directors). "Here's a chance to close it out and win the sectional.," May said.
"The biggest thing is they run dive and dive option. Their leading rushers are their quarterback and their fullback. They'll spread you out, and they run the fullback dive and then they want the quarterback to keep the ball. They also do some nice things in their passing game with their quarterback. He throws the ball well."
Logan Laswell is the Rams quarterback. He has completed 72 of 129 passes for 1,329 yards and 20 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
He is also Paoli's top rusher with 1,125 yards on 138 carries and 13 touchdowns.
Tate Smith leads Paoli in receiving with 23 catches for 542 yards and 11 touchdowns, while fullback Tyler Deckard leads the team in scoring with 13 touchdowns, and he has also kicked nine extra points.
May said, "Any time you play a team like that you've got to have good option responsibilities and you've got to be sound.
"Their main defense is an odd front. They have a nose guard, two tackles and two ends, and two linebackers and a four-deep secondary. They do a nice job in their secondary of disguising their coverage.
"I hope our kids will buy into it this week and practice better than they did last week."
Indian Creek game: "We've been frustrated with our kickoff coverage for two years now. We've tried different things. The bottom line is you've got fight through them and make the play. What we had in for Indian Creek wasn't very good. We've changed it this week and hopefully we'll be in better coverage.
"Defensively and offensively I thought we played real well. We had quite a few yards rushing and we threw the ball fairly well. We threw a lot of short stuff. We slowed down their passing game but they had two good receivers and it was tough for our guys to cover."
Special awards for Creek: Offensive back: Hurley, off. line: Mellencamp,: def line-inside LB Hinton, def back-outside LB: Hurley.
Hurley scores 4 touchdowns to lead Brownstown to sectional win
November 1, 2008
TRAFALGAR - A late-game, do-or-die drive, capped by an 11-yard Blaze Hurley touchdown run with 1:08 left on the clock, lifted Brownstown Central's football team to a comeback 30-28 victory over a determined Indian Creek squad Friday night.
The narrow escape advanced Brownstown to the Class 2A Sectional 31 championship game next Friday. The Braves (9-1) will take on Paoli (10-1), a 58-0 winner over Mitchell in the tournament's other semifinal.
Brownstown will play in the sectional finals for a remarkable 10th straight year. The Braves have won six titles over the last nine seasons.
"We're lucky to come out with a win," Brownstown head coach Reed May said. "They had us on our heels. We didn't practice well this week, and tonight we played like we practiced."
Though not as crisp as last week's performance against Providence, BC's effort was good enough to earn a sixth consecutive postseason win over Indian Creek. Brownstown has beaten IC in 11 of their last 12 meetings.
Indian Creek (7-4) appeared to be on the verge of breaking its bad luck against BC when, on a halfback option, Zac Tharpe found Jordan Jackson on a six-yard TD pass with 4:36 left in the game. That score gave IC a 28-24 lead.
Brownstown started its game-winning drive at its 26 yard line and called Hurley's number all the way down the field.
During the final possession, Hurley, who scored all four Brave touchdowns, carried the ball four times for 42 yards and had a reception for another 12 yards.
"(Indian Creek) seemed to be keying on Teddy (Stucker) and Blaze was having more success at the end," May said. "We were hoping (Hurley) would make things happen."
Hurley's game-clinching score was a double hand-off from quarterback Cam Cockerham to running back Christian Peters, who fed it to Hurley at the 11-yard line.
"We just dug down deeper and kept pushing," Hurley said of his team's effort. "The line did a great job toward the end of the game. We didn't come out ready to play, so we knew we'd have to step up."
After Hurley's TD gave BC a 30-28 lead, Indian Creek stalled at midfield on its final possession.
The down-to-the-wire nature of the game seemed probable from the start. Indian Creek opened the game with a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jackson, leading to an 8-0 lead just 13 seconds into the contest.
Meanwhile, Brownstown couldn't find the end zone until the second quarter when Hurley scored from the defensive side of the ball. The senior put BC on the board with a 50-yard interception return 12 seconds into the second period.
"I just dropped in the zone and went after it," Hurley said of the play. "After that, it was wide open."
Down 8-7, Brownstown took the lead for the first time with 1:07 left in the first half when Cockerham connected with Hurley on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Hurley then succeeded on the two-point conversion with a bruising run to the right to give BC a 15-8 advantage.
Creek responded immediately, however, getting another strong kickoff return from Tharpe to the BC 44-yard line. Three plays later, IC scored when quarterback Trey Reese's pass bounced off the helmet of BC defender Kaeler Persinger's helmet and into the hands of Brandon Collins.
Tied at 15, Brownstown regained the lead by opening the second half with a strong nine-play, 71-yard drive. Hurley and Stucker alternated carries until Hurley broke through IC's line for a 37-yard TD run with 7:25 left in the third quarter.
Leading 22-15, Brownstown kept the pressure on. The Braves forced a turnover on downs by stopping Tharpe on a fourth-and-1 at the BC 19-yard line with :04 to go in the third period.
Brownstown then marched inside the Indian Creek 10 before settling for a 22-yard Steffen Lewis field goal that resulted in a 24-15 lead with 9:15 left in the game.
For the third consecutive game, Hurley and Stucker each gained over 100 yards rushing. Hurley ended with 138 yards on 15 carries, while Stucker had 110 yards on 19 attempts.
Cockerham threw for 110 yards on 12-for-15 passing.
Peters enjoys carrying ball at Brownstown
October 30, 2008
BROWNSTOWN - Christian Peters doesn't hesitate when asked what he likes about playing football at Brownstown.
"It's exciting," he says. "I just like playing football, especially running, and winning."
He starts at right slot back, and also plays outside linebacker on defense.
He runs to the left side, and said he enjoys running sweeps. "Usually there is a guard pulling in front of you and you read his block."
Coach Reed May said that because of Peters' size, 6-1, 195, he is called on to block a lot. "He doesn't get to carry the ball as much as (Teddy) Stucker and (Blaze) Hurley, but when he does get to carry the ball he does a nice job. I know he does a better job of blocking for Hurley, than Hurley does for him.
"He's done a nice job for us. He's another one of those kids that it took him a year or two to figure out that he needed to work a little harder. He still has times where he doesn't work as hard as I like, but he's seen the light, he is working a lot harder in practice, and he's had a pretty good career for us. He also catches the ball real well coming out of the backfield."
Peters said his most memorable wins this year came over Seymour, their county rival, and Providence, in the first round of the sectional
"Our offense has been pretty good and our defense is catching up with our offense. We've just got to take it one game at a time and focus on the keys and what the coaches tell us."
He began his football in the 56ers program, and since eighth grade he has switched between outside linebacker and middle linebacker.
"I probably like outside linebacker the best. I just read the fullback and the guard, and follow the ball.
"Friday nights are really good. It gets you pumped up when you look over to the other (Elm Street) side and see it packed end to end. Most of us seniors have been together since fifth and sixth grade, and we have gotten close with each-other."
May said, "Last year he started at linebacker. This year we had other people playing well at linebacker and he is a back up at linebacker, which in the long run has probably helped him out because it has kept him fresh for offense."
Peters said working hard in the weight room important. "We're usually stronger than our opponents. We lift three ways a week during the season. Track has helped me develop my speed and made be faster."
May said, "He's a kid that can do some things for us and he needs to play well the remainder of the season."
Braves travel to Indian Creek
Brownstown will be facing a familiar team as it is facing Indian Creek for the 10th straight year. BC has won eight of the nine, losing in 2002. This is the fourth year in a row Brownstown has played at Trafalgar.
"It's a typical Mike Gillen team," May said, "(Zac) Tharpe set the state career reception record last week. He is an excellent wide receiver and we know they are going to line up and throw the ball all over the place.
"Most of the time they are in trips. They run shotgun, and they some other formations. They run out of the power I on goal line.
"We've seen all these formations nine years in a row. It's nothing new, and I'm sure they feel the same way about us. They know what we do."
Brandon Collins leads Creek in receiving with 82 receptions for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Tharpe has 63 catches for 866 yards and nine TDs. Quarterback Trey Reese has completed 174 of 304 passes for 2,296 yards and 22 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
"If you concentrate on the pass exclusively they will run the ball," May said. "They move people around quite a bit. I'm very impressed with their defense. They haven't given up a lot of points (13 per game), and they've got some big kids up front. They held (Clarskville's Corey) Bowens to 50 some yards last week and he is a good running back."
May said he will change up the defense to try to confuse Reese, who is a sophomore. "Sometimes we'll rush three and drop eight, and sometimes we'll go in with six or seven and play man, and sometimes we'll play zone and blitz."
Providence game: "I was very happy with our defense. We did a good job on (Ethan) Cook. Last year he gained 298 yards on us. He still got over 100 yards but he averaged less than four yards per carry. The one touchdown we gave up the kid made a heck of a catch. Our defensive back was all over him. We very easily could have had a shutout."
Special awards for Providence: Offensive back: Hurley, off. line: Hinton,: def line-inside LB: Martin, def back-outside LB: Stucker, special teams: Lewis, scout team: Erwin, black jerseys: Stucker, Allman, Martin, Hurley, Hinton, Cockerham.
Braves use strong defense to top Pioneers
October 25, 2008
BROWNSTOWN - A few key offensive plays and a strong defensive effort propelled Brownstown Central's football team to a 17-7 victory over Providence Friday night in the opening round of the Class 2A Sectional 31 tournament.
The Braves (8-1) advanced to a semifinal showdown at Indian Creek (7-3) next Friday. Indian Creek defeated Clarksville, 42-8.
"The difference was our defense, no question about it," Brownstown head coach Reed May said of his team's win. "We told our kids that we needed an effort like we got against Seymour. I'm proud of them. They executed the game plan perfectly."
The defense's top priority was Providence fullback Ethan Cook, who entered Friday's game averaging 209 yards rushing per game. In last year's sectional final, he destroyed BC with 270 yards and four touchdowns on 41 carries.
On Friday, the Braves limited Cook to 102 yards and no TDs on 35 carries.
"Last year, Cook ran up and down the field on us," May said. "Our focus was to slow him down."
Brownstown certainly contained Cook. The Providence senior broke off just one run of 20 yards and only four carries went for more than 10 yards.
In fact, Cook's momentum was often in reverse. The Braves dropped the 6-foot-1, 205 pounder for lost yardage nine times for -33 yards.
"Our game plan was for our two outside linebackers to follow Cook no matter where he went," said senior Blaze Hurley. "We didn't figure that we could stop him. We just wanted to slow him down."
Hurley, one of those outside linebackers, was in Providence's backfield all evening and finished with five tackles for losses totaling 18 yards. He also hurried Providence quarterback Anthony Denis twice.
Brownstown generally employed a bend-but-don't-break mentality on defense. Providence reached the red zone in Brave territory four times, but managed just seven points.
"Our seniors stepped it up tonight," senior linebacker Ethan Martin said. "We did what we needed to do. Our D-Line, our defensive ends, even our free safeties - everyone filled the gaps. We wanted to slow down Cook, and we did that."
Martin, like Hurley, was active all night for the Braves, finishing with seven tackles (two for 10 yards in losses) and a key fumble recovery at middle field late in the first half that led to a Steffen Lewis field goal.
Cam Cockerham, Chris Hinton, Casey Bowling, Teddy Stucker and Logan Mills all joined in the tackle-for-loss party. In all, the Braves had 11 tackles for loss that pushed Providence back 38 yards.
Stucker, meanwhile, sealed the victory in the fourth quarter by intercepting a Providence pass at BC's 11-yard line.
With the defense putting on such a strong performance, the offense got by with its lowest output since a 13-point effort on a rain-drenched field at Salem in early September.
"We thought we could do some things against them, but it didn't work out," May said. "You have to give credit to (Providence's) defense. They played well."
Unable to dominate the Pioneers, the Braves' offense used big plays to find the end zone. After getting stopped on their first three possessions, BC assembled an impressive 91-yard drive in just four plays to score the game's first touchdown.
Stucker highlighted the drive with a 46-yard run that moved the ball to Providence's 37 yard line. On the next play, Hurley carried the ball 37 yards to the end zone for the score and a 7-0 lead with 3:51 left in the first half.
Following Martin's fumble recovery on the BC 44 yard line with just 48 seconds to go in the half, the Braves worked the ball to the Pioneer 17 where Lewis booted a 33-yard field goal with just one second on the clock.
The Braves' 10-0 lead lasted until the fourth quarter when Providence struck on a fourth-and-20 play from BC's 26 yard line. After pushing the Pioneers backward on three consecutive runs to force a fourth down, Anthony Denis connected with Steve Burrous for an improbable TD to shrink BC's lead to 10-7 with 7:45 left in the game.
Brownstown responded immediately, however, using its own clutch pass to set up a touchdown. Facing a third-and-11, Cockerham scrambled left and remained patient long enough to find receiver Coley Brown 26 yards downfield for a drive-extending first down.
Three plays later, Hurley broke through for a 42 yard run to Providence's 2-yard line. Stucker then bowled over Pioneer defenders for a two-yard TD run that restored BC's 10-point lead at 17-7.
For the second straight game, Hurley and Stucker each gained over 100 yards on the ground. Hurley led all rushers with 131 yards on just nine carries. Stucker, who passed 1,000 yards for the season, ended with 112 yards on 15 carries.
Cockerham enjoys offense, defense at Brownstown
October 23, 2008
BROWNSTOWN- Cam Cockerham says that while he enjoys quarterbacking the Brownstown football team, he also enjoys playing free safety.
"I just enjoy playing football," he said. "I like being the quarterback, I like Friday nights, Elm Street, being in the locker room with the guys."
Cockerham began playing football in the 56ers program at Brownstown and said he has always been a quarterback.
He has passed for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns this fall. He says his favorite pass patterns are the flag route and the curl. "The flag is about 25 or 30 yards," he said. "I throw what the defense will give us."
Cockerham said he feels the main reason he has improved is being able to read defenses. "I think I'm able to recognize different types of defenses, and blitzes and stuff like that."
He attended the Bishop-Dullughan camp four years and also attended a kicking and punting camp at DePauw University one year.
"I learned more about technique," he said about attending the camps.
Braves coach Reed May said, "He does a nice job at quarterback. He's probably one of the most intelligent football players I've ever had about knowing the game. The main thing is he just need to keep his head focused.
"He had a great junior year and did a lot of things that were outstanding. He was junior all-state. In the off-season there were some issues that needed to be taken care of and hopefully now he's starting to play the way he's capable of."
Cockerham said he feels the reason the Braves have winning records year-after-year is "the balance we have on offense. We've played better defense, probably not as well as we should have, but better."
He said he is looking forward to facing Providence. "For us to win we've got to stop the run and contain (Ethan) Cook, and we're going to have to score some points to beat them The offensive line has done a great job all year."
May said, "For us to win this game Friday night Cam is going to have to play the way he did last year. He's going to have to live up to his expectations and play that way.
"He's capable of it not only offensively, but he's our free safety. Our free safety has to be like a linebacker against Providence. He's got to come up and make a lot of plays. He's not only important to us as a quarterback, but he's important to us as a free safety."
Cockerham has been a three-year starter at free safety. He has three interceptions this season. He said he learns a lot by watching film each week of the upcoming opponent.
"A lot of times you can pick up when the other team is going to throw because they don't throw very much.
"We play a lot of cover one where we play man under and I play zone. I like that."
Braves battle Pioneers
May said the Braves defense will have to bring it's A game since they will be facing the leading rusher in the state in Cook, who is averaging 209 yards over eight games. He received two unsportsmanlike penalties in the Tecumseh game and had to sit out last week against Clarksville.
"They have an outstanding running back in Cook," May said. "They line up in the ‘I' and he is their tailback. He had over 200 yards against us last year. Their offensive line is huge. They also run wing T. They do a nice job of mixing it up, and they have some good play-action passes off of those. It's going to be a tough game for us.
"They play New Albany, Jeffersonville, Floyd Central, a couple of Louisville schools, and Tecumseh was undefeated, so they play a real tough schedule. They run a smorgasbord of defenses, but their main defense is a 4-4. I'm sure if you were seeding the sectional us and Providence would be the top two seeds.
"The main thing to me is a good offense sometimes is a good defense. If we can move the ball and get some stops on them, and all of a sudden get ahead of them, now you take them out of their element and they have to do something different."
West Washington game: "Offensively we never really got slowed down. Any time you go into a game you're concerned is your game plan any good.. We got four picks against their quarterback. The only thing we didn't do real well is open-field tackling. We got up 41-7 against their starters and we started putting in some backs ups. I thought our kids played well. In the first half I was very frustrated with some of our missed assignments, especially defensively."
Special awards for WW: Offensive back: Hurley, off. line: McClintock,: def line-inside LB: Bowling, def back-outside LB: Persinger, special teams: Wagner, scout team: Branaman, black jerseys: Stucker, Hurley
Braves whip Senators for seventh victory
October 18, 2008
CAMPBELLSBURG - Brownstown Central's football team closed out the regular season with a convincing 41-21 victory over West Washington (5-4) on Friday night. Now, the Braves' focus will turn exclusively to next week's anticipated Class 2A sectional-opening showdown with Providence (5-4).
"We told our team, last year we didn't win the conference, we didn't win the county and we didn't win the sectional," BC head coach Reed May said. "Well, this year, we've gotten two of those. Now it's time to focus on the third."
The Braves shared this year's Mid Southern Conference title with Salem and Charlestown. Three weeks ago, BC beat Seymour, 31-27, to win county bragging rights.
Only the sectional crown awaits the Braves, who were defeated in last year's Sectional 31 final by Providence, 35-26.
Thanks to Friday's win over West Washington, the Braves (7-1) will head into the post-season with a six-game winning streak.
Brownstown opened the game strongly, taking a 27-0 lead into halftime and building a 41-7 lead with 11 minutes left in the game.
"We basically just wanted to come down here and get a win," May said. "Offensively, I thought we moved the ball well. We didn't throw the ball much, but I wanted to keep the ball on the ground and keep the clock running. Defensively, we didn't open-field tackle very well, but when you're up 27-0 or 41-7, it's hard to complain."
Defensively, the Braves were stung by slippery West Washington quarterback Martin Chastain, who ran the ball 26 times for 188 yards.
But BC extracted compensation from the Senator QB by intercepting four of his passes. Cam Cockerham (twice), Kaeler Persinger and Andrew Allman each picked off a Chastain pass.
Those four interceptions led to 21 BC points.
Though he didn't intercept a pass, defensive back Michael Leitzman was a thorn in Chastain's side all night, breaking up four passes and getting a hard hit of WW's Cody Marrs on a screen pass.
Offensively, the Braves threw dueling 100-yard rushers at West Washington's overwhelmed defense.
Seniors Teddy Stucker (119 yards on 18 carries) and Blaze Hurley (117 yards on seven carries) each passed the century mark. Stucker added two rushing touchdowns, while Hurley had one rushing TD and a 55-yard TD reception.
Hurley led all receivers with 74 yards on three catches and finished with 208 all-purpose yards.
Senior Christian Peters also enjoyed a productive night, gaining 59 yards and scoring a touchdown on just five rushing attempts. Junior Caleb Silvers rounded out BC's scoring when he eased into the end zone from three yards out in the fourth quarter.
Hurley enjoys offense, defense at Brownstown
October 16, 2008
BROWNSTOWN - Blaze Hurley said he has played on both sides of the football for a long as he can remember at Brownstown, and he still enjoys both offense and defense.
He has started at slotback the past two years. He also started at cornerback his junior year, but has switched to outside linebacker this season.
Hurley began playing football in the 56er program and recalled, "My brother (Steele) was in the 56er program before me. I always wanted to play and I went out and played with him and I had fun. I've always liked playing football."
Coach Reed May said, "he's a good athlete and he's been a good athlete since 56ers. A lot of times when you do so well at a young age it comes so easy for you and you don't want to work as hard. Unfortunately, that was Blaze's problem during his sophomore and junior year.
"He has a lot of athletic ability and he had a lot of success The last eight or nine weeks he's started to work harder. Hopefully it will pay dividends come tournament time. He has good speed. He runs the 100 for us in track. He just has some natural skills at running back, and another thing he's a really good receiver out of the backfield.
"We feel like we have four people that can run the ball, and we also feel like we can throw the ball to five different people. Our slots catch a lot of balls and he's done a nice job receiving. He has one of the best set of hands on the team and we take advantage of that."
Hurley set the school record for touchdown receptions in a season last fall with 16, and he ranks at the top of the career list with 19 going into Friday's game.
This season he leads the team in receptions with 12, for 188 yards, and two scores. He has rushed 43 times for 301 yards and seven touchdowns.
"I just like running my patterns and trying to beat my defender. I like to make a move on him," Hurley said. "I like to run reverses, counters and run through the middle."
He is tied for fifth on the team in tackles with eight solos and 19 assists for a total of 27. He leads the Braves in tackles for loss with seven.
During the past three years Hurley has played safety, cornerback and outside linebacker. "I like that the most," he said about playing outside linebacker. "When I'm out there I just try to contain and not let anybody get outside of me."
The Braves have been at or near the top of the conference each year Hurley has been on the team. He said, "A lot of that is because the coaches have a good game plan for us and they put a lot of effort into the game plan.
"Practice is important, and watching film helps a lot. It tells us what the other team is going to do.
May said, "He's a good kid and does well in the weight room and stuff like that."
Hurley agreed the weight room is important. "The weight room is a big part of it. If you don't work hard in the weight room you're not going to be very strong, and since football is a contact sport, you've got to be able to push people around."
Braves face Senators
May said playing West Washington the last game of the regular season is a good opponent as far as getting the Braves ready for the sectional.
"They do a nice job down there," he said. "They've changed their offensive philosophy the last few years. Now they're in shotgun probably 90 percent of the time. I think they average throwing the ball 30 or 35 times a game. The (Martin) Chastain kid is one of the leading passers in the state." He has completed 117 of 225 passes for 1,938 yards and 24 touchdowns. Chris Doan has 33 receptions for 522 yards and seven touchdowns.
"They've got some real nice receivers," May said. "It's a different type team than we've played the last couple of weeks. It will be fun for the fans. If we do get past Providence it prepares us for Indian Creek because they throw the ball a lot.
"A team like this is why we play 7-on-7 in the summer. We work on our pass defense.
"They've got beat by three real good football teams in Salem Paoli and Perry Central. They have 19 seniors on their team and they're doing a real nice job so it's going to be a tough game.
"Any time you face a good quarterback you've got to mix it up. Sometimes you've got to play coverage, sometimes you've got to blitz people. The key to it is not give them any clues to what we're doing. They don't know if we're gong to blitz, they don't know if we're going to play zone. You've got to be able to play the draws and the screens and stuff, too."
May said the Braves need to b ready for a variety of defensive formations. "They play a variety of different defenses. They were in a split defense against Mitchell the whole game. Against Paoli they were in a pro defense, and we've seen them in a 50. It's a matter of finding out what they're going to do against us."
Eastern game: "We had one defensive series that we weren't playing real well and I had to call time out. They're struggling and we came out and did what we were supposed to. Offensively, we wanted to work on the passing game and we threw four touchdown passes. It was a good homecoming win for our kids."
Special awards for Eastern: Offensive back: Cockerham, off. line: Friel,: def line-inside LB: Caleb Silvers, def back-outside LB: Branaman, special teams: Allman, black jerseys: Hinton, Allman
Braves pile up points to whip Musketeers
October 13, 2008
BROWNSTOWN - The last two weeks against a couple of overmatched opponents, Brownstown Central has attempted to redefine the idea of offensive efficiency.
On Friday night, the Braves (6-1) beat up on winless Eastern (Pekin), 55-0. The week before, BC topped struggling Clarksville, 63-26.
While those scores may sound fairly ordinary for Brownstown, the numbers behind the scores have been startling.
In their 19 offensive possessions against Clarksville and Eastern (0-8), the Braves scored 17 touchdowns. The two unsuccessful possessions were ended prematurely in the Clarksville game by an interception and the game-ending buzzer.
Brownstown was perfect on all eight of its possessions against Eastern. The Braves had the ball for just 6:44 in the first half on Friday, but nevertheless managed to score five TDs and accumulate 305 yards of total offense.
In the second half, despite playing under a running clock, BC still had enough time to scored three more TDs.
"We're starting to click," BC head coach Reed May said. "We're putting in a lot of stuff that we used to do. We felt like we needed some of that back in the offense. Basically, it's just plays off of our base running plays. But, if you run the ball well, it sets up the pass."
Brownstown's senior quarterback Cam Cockerham tied the school record with four passing touchdowns and nearly reached the school record for single-game passing yards, throwing for 269 yards on 10-for-14 passing.
The last Brave QB to throw four TDs in a game was Chandler Lambring in 2004. Todd Spurgeon's 286 yards against Corydon in 1981 still tops BC's history book.
Cockerham wasted little time getting started, hitting senior Blaze Hurley on a 55 yard TD pass on the Braves' second offensive play.
Cockerham added a 21-yard TD to Stuart Robison and a 16 yarder to Christian Peters in the second quarter. He went back to Hurley on a 33-yard TD strike in the third quarter.
Hurley, meanwhile, had his best offensive game of the season, scoring three TDs and accounting for 128 yards of total offense. His two-yard touchdown run with 59 seconds left in the first half gave Brownstown a comfortable 35-0 lead.
"We just wanted to come out and play like we're capable," May said. "We got through the game and everyone's healthy. That's the main thing. Now, we've got to play well next week (at West Washington) and take a win streak into the sectional."
Brownstown currently owns a five-game winning streak.
On the ground, the Braves were led by senior Teddy Stucker, who ran for 42 yards on just three carries, one of which went for a TD in the first half.
Junior Caleb Silvers added a 14-yard TD run in the third quarter, while sophomore Taylor Franklin scored Brownstown's final touchdown when he dove in from four yards out late in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps the only disappointment of the night was the game's final extra point attempt, which sophomore kicker Steffen Lewis failed to make. It marked the first PAT that Lewis has missed all season, ending a remarkable streak of 39 consecutive successful kicks.
Chris Branaman enjoys playing outside linebacker at Brownstown
October 9, 2008
BROWNSTOWN - Chris Branaman said he has played four different positions the past three seasons at Brownstown, and he feels he has found a home this fall at outside linebacker.
Branaman began his football career in fifth grade at Seymour. After playing there for two years, he decided not to play in middle school. In the meantime, his family moved to Brownstown, and he decided to go out for football as a freshman, but since he lived in the country, he had trouble getting to practice so he was unable to play that fall.
During track season the next spring, he indicated to coach Reed May that he would like to play football if he could get transportation to practice.
"Coach May saw something in me and he thought he could make me a football player," Branaman said. "I'm a hurdler, but I work out with the sprinters. My sophomore year I played offense and defense with the JV, and since my junior year I have only played defense.
"I really like playing linebacker and I like my position coach, Don Roberts."
May said, "Basically what he does, he rests Blaze Hurley and Teddy Stucker. They are our starting outside linebackers. He rotates in with them. He is a great kid and works hard."
"His brother (Mason) was killed in a car wreck last spring. We've got a special locker for Mason next to Chris' locker back there. I'm sure it's been a tough season for Chris and his family, not having his brother around in the locker room.
"I commend him and his family for going through something like that, and still coming out here and playing well, and having a pretty good senior year.
"Last spring was probably the hardest thing I've ever went through, having a player on my team pass away. I'm sure it was devastating for Chris and him family.
Chris said, "I want to express my feelings to Coach May. He's really done a lot for me and my family. I want to thank him for that.
"The summer was rough. The camp was rough but it helped us. The live in camp and everything brought us closer together"I've got a lot of responsibility on pass plays and run plays. I really like it when we blitz. Practice is so much easier during the season.
Our coaches have us well prepared this year and coach (Dan) Schwartz has done a really good job as defensive coordinator.
"Friday nights under the lights are unbelievable. I'm really looking forward to homecoming. It should be a good game."
May said, "He plays on some of our special teams. He's a contributor on our football team, he gets to play quite a bit, and I'm proud of him for that.
"He's got some speed. He runs the hurdles for us in track. He works hard in the weight room an does a nice job there."
Braves battle Musketeers
The Braves will play host to Eastern for homecoming
May said, "I've told the kids, we're not only getting ready for Eastern, we're getting ready for the tournament. This week we play a team that in the last two weeks have been in an I offense. Providence (the first-round opponent) runs an I offense. They've been in a split defense and Providence runs a split defense. We're working on those things this week.
"Next week we play a West Washington team that throws the ball a lot, and Indian Creek throws the ball all over the place. I'm trying to tell them that they need to need to prepare the next two weeks for the tournament.
"Eastern is struggling. They're averaging seven points a game and giving up 48 points a game. They're not very good on film. It's a matter of we need to take care of ourselves this week and get better for the tournament game.
"A lot of time when you play a team that's struggling, you play down to their level. Last year we did that at the start. This year we want to play at our level. We need to get on them early. Our JV game with Eastern is already cancelled. We knew we don't have a game on Monday so we don't have to worry about quarters so it would be nice to get a big lead and get the kids in."
Clarksville game: "We played well offensively. We set a school record for yards with 617 yards, and we scored 63 points. Defensively I thought we played real well until the end of the second quarter, and then the (Corey) Bowens kid cut back on us quite a bit and had some big runs. He ended up with 170 yards rushing. We need to get better playing the run."
Special awards for Clarksville: Offensive back: Brown, off. line: Caudill,: def line-inside LB: Hinton, def back-outside LB: Leitzman, special teams: Shoemaker, scout team: Martin, black jersey: Stucker
Braves pile up yardage to whip Generals for MSC win
October 4, 2008
CLARKSVILLE - Brownstown Central's football team showed no signs of a letdown one week after an upset win over county rival Seymour. The Braves (5-1) returned to the field Friday at Clarksville and administered an efficient 63-26 beating on the struggling Generals (2-5)
Head coach Reed May allowed his team to enjoy its 31-27 win over Seymour for exactly three days before exploding in practice on Tuesday. Whether it was needed or not, May got his point across.
"Coach May woke us up a little on Tuesday," Brownstown quarterback Cam Cockerham said. "He said great teams build on wins like that and that we need to come down (to Clarksville) and take care of business."
Cockerham and the Braves certainly did that.
Jumping out to a 35-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter, BC scored on nine of its first 10 possessions. The 11th possession was used to run out the game clock at the end of the game
While hitting the 60 point mark for the first time since October of 2004, the Braves amassed 617 yards of total offense, 442 of which were generated by an increasingly dangerous ground attack. None of the Braves' 51 rushes was stopped for zero or negative yards.
Despite the huge rushing numbers, Brownstown established something of a balanced offense in the first half, with Cockerham hitting 10 of 14 passes for 175 yards while the backfield ran for 166 yards on 20 attempts.
"We know we're going to have to throw the ball in the tournament and we haven't thrown well all year," May said. "So, we wanted to work on that tonight."
Brownstown's second drive consisted of two plays, both passes, which covered 75 yards and ended with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Cockerham to Coley Brown.
"It felt good (to pass the ball)," Cockerham said. "We threw well last year and it seems like teams are keying on that this year. We know we're going to have to pass in the tournament."
Brown was Cockerham's favorite target on Friday, catching five passes for 120 yards.
Though the passing game was effective, most of the scoring was done on the ground. As he has all season, senior fullback Teddy Stucker led the way with a team-high 140 yards and three TDs on 14 carries.
Christian Peters followed with 66 yards and touchdown on 10 carries. Blaze Hurley added 65 yards and TD on eight carries.
Also scoring rushing touchdowns for Brownstown were Cockerham, Kelley Wagner and Caleb Silvers.
BC kicker Steffen Lewis continued his excellent kicking, hitting all nine of his extra-point attempts.
About the only problem for Brownstown on Friday was an inability to stop Clarksville's talented backfield of Nathan Masters and Corey Bowens.
Bowens had a game-high 206 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Masters added 65 yards and a couple of TDs on 12 carries
Martin enjoys playing defense at Brownstown
October 2, 2008 - 1:24PM
BROWNSTOWN - Ethan Martin is trying to make the most of his opportunity this fall with the Brownstown Central football team.
Martin didn't get to play much varsity football in the past, but due to his hard work this past summer, he has earned a starting spot at inside linebacker.
"I like it, it's fun, and as long as you make your read it's a lot easier," Martin said. He said he keys on the quarterback or a running back. He said on a pass play, what he does depends on if the Braves are blitzing on the play or playing straight up defense, and sometimes he drops back to cover a receiver over the middle.
"On running plays, it depends on where the tackle is at," Martin said. "We have different gaps that we have to fill. It takes teamwork and if everybody does what they are supposed to do, it should work out."
Coach Reed May said, "He's one of those kids that has been here all four years, he's worked hard all four years. I didn't know where he was going to play. He's probably changed his number three or four times the last two years. On offense he's kind of our ‘emergency' guy. Last year our fullback went down and we put him in at fullback. This year, I told him to go in at center one time, and I told him to go in at guard one time.
"He's one of those kids that is smart enough that if we have an injury here or there we'll be able to put him in some place and he'll do a good job. He'll learn, he'll work hard at it and do a good job for us. By reading his keys he is where he is supposed to be.
"On defense he's been a linebacker the last couple years. He's one of those kids that's not as fast as some of the other kids we've had, but knows the game real well, he reads his keys real well, and because of that he's played real well at linebacker for us.
"We made a change after the Charlestown game and gave him more and more reps and really, the last two games against Salem and Seymour, he's played real well."
Martin said he enjoyed the live-in camp. "It was pretty fun. It was three straight days of all football, all the time."
Martin began playing in the fifth grade, and said, "I've worked hard in the weight room, and at practice, and during conditioning.. It's a lot easier to practice now with the cooler weather."
He said he enjoys the home games playing in front of the big crowds. "It's fun playing football at Brownstown under the lights. At the away games we still have a lot of people that come and show their support.
Martin said for the team to keep winning, "We've just got to keep doing what we're doing and improve every week. It's just everybody flying to the football. I've waited four years for this."
May said, "He's a senior, he's playing for us, and he's worked hard to get to this point, and he's done a great job."
Braves battle Generals: The Braves will return to Mid Southern Conference play at Clarksville.
May said, "Offensively, they've got some kids that can fly. The (Nathan) Masters that plays fullback has great speed, their tailback named (Corey) Bowens has great speed, and they have a freshman wide out that is a really quick kid.
"The thing that is dangerous about them is, if you miss a tackle here or there they have kids that are going to score six points on you That concerns us defensively.
"They run an odd-man front, a 5-2 defense. They've given up a lot of points so if we can continue doing what we've done the last few weeks I think offensively we can move the ball. It's a game that concerns me and concerns our staff because we had such a big win last week.
"I ripped the kids in practice (Monday) that it's over. You can talk about it in the off-season but right now our goal is to get better this week and get ready for Clarksville, and finish our season strong and get ready for the tournament. I'll be disappointed if we go there Friday night and don't play well. We need to wear them down quick."
Seymour game: "More than anything I was happy with our offensive line and our defense. Our offensive line was our offensive MVP."
Game ball: May said all the players signed the game ball from the Seymour game and we dedicated it to Mason Watson's family. Watson was a four-year football letterman at BCHS who was killed in an accident in Edinburgh Sept. 17.
"Mason was just a great kid," May said. "He played four years for me, he played on our only regional championship team, and he is a kid that means a lot to our program. He was still officiating our 56ers games. We're going to have a Mason Watson Award at our awards program."
Special awards for Seymour game: Offensive back: Stucker, off. line: Hinton, Caudill, Mills, Baker, McClintock, Friel, Lane: def line-inside LB: Mills, def back-outside LB: Persinger, special teams: Allman, scout team: Branaman, black jerseys: Hurley, Stucker, Mills, Caudill.
Braves use strong running to beat Seymour
September 27, 2008
BROWNSTOWN -Brownstown Central's football team took an ‘Old School'
approach to Friday's night game with Seymour, and the results were
dramatic.
The Braves stunned the Owls, 31-27, in front of a crowd of 2,000
at BC's Blevins Memorial Stadium. The win was Brownstown's first ever
over Seymour, which entered the game with a 7-0 record in the two
school's series.
The way the Braves pulled off the upset was nearly as stunning
as the end result. Instead of using the passing game they've nurtured
for nearly four years, Brownstown relied almost exclusively on their
running game against a bigger Seymour team.
BC ran the ball 64 times for a staggering 409 yards against the
Owls. The ability to run allowed the Braves to control the ball for
nearly 30 of the game's 48 minutes.
"The team that controls the line of scrimmage controls the
game," Seymour head coach Jeff Richey said. "It's pretty obvious from
the stats who had control tonight.
"The truth is (Brownstown) was a lot hungrier than us. They came
out to play, and we blinked. You just can't do that. There's enough
blame to go around, but we've got to be a little more mentally tough."
Also
aiding Brownstown's cause was a rash of Seymour turnovers. The Owls
lost two fumbles and were intercepted twice, leading to 17 Brownstown
points.
"We knew we were capable of this kind of game," Brownstown head
coach Reed May said. "We treated this like a tournament game. That was
our approach. Our defense was outstanding against a high-powered
Seymour offense. I think watching film of last year's game ticked our
guys off."
That need for atonement was evident just two minutes into the
game when blitzing Brownstown linebacker Blaze Hurley rocked Seymour
quarterback Chad Moore with a shot that knocked the ball loose and into
the hands of BC's Logan Mills on the Seymour 31.
That first Seymour turnover led moments later to a 30-yard Steffen Lewis field goal and a 3-0 Brownstown lead.
Seymour recovered quickly, however, when defensive lineman
Jeremy Hood intercepted a Cam Cockerham screen pass and galloped 39
yards for a touchdown, giving the Owls a 7-3 edge.
In the first sign that BC might be able to pull off an upset,
Brownstown answered right back less than two minutes later. Brave
senior fullback Teddy Stucker found a hole, broke into the Owls'
defensive backfield, bumped off Seymour's Jacob Carmichael and rambled
68 yards for a touchdown and a 10-7 Brownstown lead.
"The line did a heckuva job, that's all there was to it,"
Stucker said. "There was just a safety out there. After that, it was
amazing to see all that green grass."
Stucker finished the game with a career high 196 yards on 30 carries.
Seymour rebounded to take its final lead of the night early in
the second quarter when Moore connected with Skylar Prange on an
11-yard TD pass. But the Owls' 13-10 lead only lasted three minutes.
On its next possession, Brownstown marched 86 yards in nine plays and got a two-yard TD run by Stucker to pull ahead 17-13.
Midway through the second quarter, Seymour was stung by another
fumble, this one recovered by BC's Caleb Silvers on the Owl 46. Three
minutes later, Hurley ran for a nine-yard TD to give Brownstown a
24-13 lead.
Seymour's defense tightened up in the second half,
allowing the Owls to close the BC lead to 24-21 late in the third
quarter on a Moore TD pass to Kevin Ude from 10 yards out.
Brownstown, however, took advantage of Seymour's final turnover.
With 4:55 to go in the game, Brownstown's Kaeler Persinger intercepted
Moore on the Seymour 21 and returned the ball to the Owl 4 yard line.
That play set up a Hurley TD that gave BC an insurmountable 31-21
advantage.
"I just had a read on the quarterback," Persinger said. "I saw
his shoulder pointing that way and broke on it. We were the underdog,
but we knew we could win if we played the way we can."
Seymour had one last glimmer of hope with 2:04 left in the game
when Moore tossed a Hail Mary 51-yard TD pass to Ude that was actually
tipped by Cockerham. Ude's quick reaction and opportune timing pulled
the Owls to within 31-27.
Despite taking the hard hit in the first quarter, Moore never
left the game and finished with 201 yards and three TDs on 12-for-30
passing.
The Braves improved to 4-1, while the Owls flipped to 2-4. Both
will return to conference action next week with the Braves at
Clarksville, and the Owls home to Jennings County.
Braves accept May's challenge to post win over Owls
September 27, 2008
Coach
Reed May has a sign in the locker room of the Brownstown football team
that lets the Braves know they did not win the sectional, the
conference or the bragging rights in Jackson County in 2007.
When May makes up the sign for the 2009 team it will be different as it will say BCHS won Jackson County in 2008.
The Braves built up a 31-21 lead with 4:50 left in the game and shocked the Owls 31-27 Friday night at Blevins Stadium.
"We won the county," May said. "That's just something I use to
motivate the kids. The film I watched from our game last year, it just
seemed like our kids were a little intimidated, a little scared, and we
didn't play well.
"I give Seymour credit, they came out and played
real well last year. I challenged the kids this past week that ‘they
don't respect you' and all that good stuff, and I know they do, but it
was a motivational talk.
"I challenged them because we knew this group of seniors could
do things, and we haven't. We really haven't done anything yet. That's
the whole theme of that thing, that we were supposed to be good last
year, we didn't do anything, we didn't win nothing.
"I challenged them that we started setting the tone tonight for
how we're going to do the rest of the year. So, playing as well as we
did tonight we've got a chance to do fairly well. We'll find out."
Kaeler Persinger made one of the biggest plays of the night for
the Braves when he intercepted a pass by Chad Moore and ran it 17 yards
to Seymour's 3-yard line. Blaze Hurley scored the clinching touchdown
on the next play to make it a 31-21 game.
"We were in a zone and I was reading the quarterback," the
junior cornerback said. "I was just watching the ball and I broke on
it."
He said this was his second interception of the season. "It was
a great win," he said. "We had more heart, and we played harder the
whole game. The defense was awesome and the offense moved the ball on
them."
May said he thought the Braves' defense did a good job of
pressuring Moore and slowing down the Owls' running game. The Braves
rushed 64 times for 409 yards, and the Owls rushed 22 times for 43yards.
May said, "Last year we played real passive. We played backed up
coverage and let them complete passes. We decided, as a coaching staff,
that we needed to put more pressure on them. Those last couple drives
we were blitzing all the time, and playing man coverage so I really
commend the defensive staff and coach (Dan) Schwartz on play calling.
He did a great job, and I commend our defense. They had a good pass
rush and good coverage. I was really proud of our defense."
May said the only thing he was disappointed in was being too
conservative in the second half. "I should have thrown a couple of
passes in there to keep them honest. We moved the ball all the second
half, we just didn't punch it in.
"The thing I'm happy with it was a tournament-type game. It's
going to prepare us for when the tournament gets here. When they got
the interception for the touchdown I was very concerned. The next drive
we scored and we're right in the game."
Jeremy Hood came up with the interception May was talking about returned it 39 yards for a touchdown.
Hood
said, "That fullback screen is a key play for them and that is
something we worked on all week. I was fortunate enough to be there at
the right time and get the interception and run it back for the
touchdown.
"It was definitely a heart-breaker I think it was just a
matter of Brownstown had more heart than we did. I thought we played a
better second half team wise, but Brownstown was the better team
tonight and hats off to them."
Chris Hinton, who starts on offense and defense for the Braves
said, "I'm just so happy. We played together as a team. The offensive
line did great. We were firing off the ball. (David) Baker, (Logan)
Mills, (Matt) McClintock, (Levi) Caudill, (Pat) Friel, all of them. It
was a team effort in the line."
Owls coach Jeff Richey said Brownstown's running game made the
difference. "They were a little hungrier than we were. The big thing
was the rushing. We weren't able to shut down the running game. In a
game like this, that's what you've got to do. If they're going to rush
for 400 yards you're going to get beat.
"They couldn't stop us from throwing. We throw the ball pretty
well (209 yards). We're a little beat up right now. We've got to
re-load and come back. We'll do that on Monday and get ready for
Jennings County."
Brownstown, Seymour football teams set for Jackson Bowl II
September 25, 2008 - 10:29AM
Bring it on.
The coaches have been fine-tuning their plays, the players have been working hard , and the fans are definitely ready.
The Seymour and Brownstown Central football teams are ready for "Jackson Bowl II," which will be played at 7 p.m. Friday at Blevins Stadium.
This will be the eighth game between the Jackson County rivals with Seymour winning the first seven, including 40-7 last year.
Braves coach Reed May says BC's special teams can't afford a letdown like it had last year. "We had just scored and it was 13-7, and I'm talking to my team. I turn around and they (Brandon Pobito) run the kickoff back."
The Braves never seemed to recover from that as Seymour went up 26-7 at the half an |
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