The 2019 Jackson County football season came to a close last week, and now, it’s time to transition into basketball season.
But before fans surrender their seats at Blevins Memorial Stadium or Bulleit Stadium and pack the bleachers indoors, here’s a look at my top moments from my first season covering Jackson County football.
The Jackson Bowl
This one is pretty obvious.
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I was really looking forward to my first Jackson Bowl, and the sights, sounds and game didn’t disappoint.
Friday night football in a small town can’t be matched. and it seemed like most of Seymour and Brownstown came out to watch the Braves and Owls duke it out for county supremacy. Fans coming together to honor Dravin Guthrie, who had just been allowed to come to the game after having a tumor removed, was also a really special moment.
I can’t wait for next year’s game, but I’m also not looking past a Dec. 6 boys basketball matchup at Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium and the girls game the night before at Brownstown Central.
BC clinching a share of the MSC
The Oct. 11 game between the then-undefeated Braves and Silver Creek was the first game of the year featuring "football weather."
You know the kind of weather: Cold, rain, probably some wind and just general misery for anyone other than the players.
That was an ugly game with plenty of turnovers, but the Braves prevailed in a tough one 22-13. They went on next week to win the outright Mid-Southern Conference title against Scottsburg.
Opening night at Bulleit Stadium
I had covered a couple of scrimmages, both intrasquad and otherwise, before the opening week matchup between the Owls and South Dearborn.
The exciting back and forth between both teams was just what we needed to ring in the new football year, capping it off with a great come-from-behind win by the Owls.
The touchdown-saving tackle by Ethan Corwin secured the win and showed the Owls’ never-say-die attitude.
Seymour’s following game against Jeffersonville also was pretty thrilling.
Seymour’s 4-0 start to the season
Due to some schedule reshuffling, the Owls met some familiar faces in new spots in the season. That allowed the Owls to open their year with four straight wins for the first time since 2001.
Unfortunately, the Owls were unable to keep the winning train running for the rest of the year, losing their next six to finish the year 4-6.
With the exception of their final loss, the Owls were competitive in each of those losses, only losing by a touchdown or less. It showed the Owls were better than their below-.500 record indicated.
There will be some new faces when the Owls take the field in 2020, but the 2019 campaign laid a great foundation for Seymour football to build on this offseason.
Brownstown Central’s undefeated season
I didn’t get to cover too many Brownstown Central games this season, just three in person and listening to one on the radio due to some scheduling issues.
Going unbeaten during the regular season isn’t anything new for coach Reed May and the Braves, who have done it 10 times since he took over the program. What was surprising was the way they had to win a few of their games.
Yes, they had the usual lopsided wins over MSC teams, but they also had to fight back in a few games, including their regular-season meetings with Charlestown, Salem and Silver Creek.
The Braves will always be competitive each and every season, and while they’ll have to replace some key pieces from this year’s team, next year should be another good one for the team clad in red and black.
What was your favorite moment of the 2019 football season? Send comments to Tribune sports editor Dylan Trimpe at [email protected].