The mantra for the Brownstown Central football team is to get better every week.

That has been the case more often than not during the Braves’ offseason, but last week, they hit a bump in the road. Head coach Reed May wasn’t too pleased with what he saw during the team’s scrimmage against Jennings County.

“Jennings County played well, and we didn’t play as well as I had hoped,” May said. “I don’t think we went backwards at all, but I don’t think we really progressed as well as I wanted to. We’re still taking baby steps. We’ve got to get more aggressive and get after people a little more than we did against Jennings.”

Brownstown looks to correct that this Friday when the Braves open the season at Corydon Central. Everyone wants to win their first game, but a win is even more vital for Brownstown, which wants to compete for the Mid-Southern Conference crown, just like last year.

“It’s very important, especially if you want to win the conference, and that’s always one of our goals,” May said.

Last year, Brownstown opened the season against Corydon, as well, and the Braves came away with a 43-6 victory.

May believes this Panther team is better than last season, and Brownstown’s team is much younger this season.

On offense, the Braves return just one starter from a season ago — quarterback Carson Darlage.

“Offensively, I think it’s just us doing our normal stuff,” May said. “We’re very young with only one offensive starter returning. We’ve got a lot of young guys that are not used to varsity football. I’m curious to how well they’ll do in their first varsity football game.”

Both teams exchanged film from last week’s scrimmage. May and his staff have been studying Corydon against Providence.

The Panthers are led by Aaron Humphrey, heading into this sixth season as head coach. They have the same offensive coordinator from a season ago but a different defensive coordinator.

“Their quarterback likes to throw the ball. They probably threw it 60% of the time against Providence,” May said. “They have some athletic wide receivers, and they have a real big running back. I think the key defensively is how well they can block our front four and our linebackers when we blitz them. They’re definitely a much-improved team from last year.”

The game at Corydon is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday.

All of the hard work the Braves put into the offseason is leading up to this Friday when that ball is kicked, and from that moment forward, it’s all about continuing to get better.

“They’re excited for the game. I tell them all the stuff you did in the offseason, now you finally get to play a game. It’s something we’ve been building toward all summer and all winter,” May said. “The goal is to get better every day and also to get better every week. Our first obstacle is Corydon, and then we need to move on and get better from there. I guarantee some guys will be nervous, but they just need to relax and play.”