CORYDON — More aggressiveness was the command, and Brownstown Central’s football team ably complied.

With all three phases of the game contributing, the Braves scored early and often and pulled away from host Corydon Central 53-28 on a warm season-opening night.

Isiaah Engle was the first Brave to touch the football, and he took a Corydon punt 72 yards for the season’s first touchdown. Engle would also add BC’s second TD, this time a three-yard run, propelling the Braves to a 13-0 first quarter lead.

Though only quarterback Carson Darlage returned from last year’s offense, the Braves looked like their well-oiled selves on that side of the ball.

Brownstown finished the game with a 537-282 advantage in total offensive yardage. The Braves ran for 389 yards with Darlage running for a game-high 177 yards. The senior highlighted his effort with runs of 50 and 37 yards.

Darlage’s arm was nearly as impressive as his feet. He finished with 148 yards and a touchdown on 5-for-10 passing. That performance included passes of 42 yards to Engle and a 56-yard TD pass to Adam Wayt.

With their impressive opening-night scoring output, this year’s Braves already matched the number of 50-point games that last year’s 11-1 squad managed (one).

Just 11 seconds into the second quarter, Caleb Cummings scored on a 39-yard reverse in which he started on the left side and crossed the goal line on the far right side of the field.

Wayt (one yard) and Darlage (five yards) added short TD runs to help BC to a commanding 33-14 lead heading into halftime.

Lane Zike then added consecutive third-quarter scoring runs of two and five yards, followed by the Darlage-to-Wayt pass on a third-and-15 play that pushed BC in front 53-21.

Though the defense allowed a mid-game run of touchdowns, the Braves largely frustrated Corydon’s pass-happy offense and fully sealed the game’s outcome with a fourth-quarter goal line stand in which the Panthers had first down from the BC five-yard line.

BC’s front seven was solid throughout with Ryan Branaman leading with eight tackles. Branaman and freshman Isaac Hutchinson each had a sack as the Braves finished with six tackles for loss resulting in 25 negative Corydon yards.

Grant Killey added a forced fumble and an interception.

Friday’s win is Brownstown’s 11th straight victory over Corydon, dating back to a first-round sectional loss to the Panthers in 2011. BC improved to 29-2 vs. Corydon during Reed May’s 30-season tenure as head coach.

The victory also extended the Braves’ string of season-opening wins to 17. BC last lost its first game in 2005 when Mitchell left Blevins Memorial Stadium with a 22-20 win.

Game stats

Braves; 53

Panthers; 28

Brownstown Central (1-0);13;20;20;0;—;53

Corydon Central (0-1);0;14;7;7;—;28

First quarter

BC: Isiaah Engle 72 punt return (Gregory Hutcheson kick), 10:03

BC: Engle 3 run (kick failed), 6:21

Second quarter

BC: Caleb Cummings 39 run (kick failed), 11:49

BC: Adam Wayt 1 run (Hutcheson kick), 7:14

C: Kam Walter 25 pass from Tyler Fessel (Bryce Gerlach kick), 5:09

BC: Carson Darlage 5 run (Hutcheson kick), 3:06

C: Fessel 3 run (Gerlach kick), :24

Third quarter

BC: Lane Zike 2 run (Hutcheson kick), 8:53

C: Anthony Martin 57 run (Gerlach kick), 7:58

BC: Zike 6 run (Hutcheson kick), 3:30

BC: Wayt 56 pass from Darlage (kick failed), :34

Fourth Quarter

C: Jalen Fowler 21 pass from Fessel (Gerlach kick), 3:32

INDIVIDUAL BC STATISTICS

Rushing: Darlage 14-177, Zike 11-62, Engle 8-48, Cummings 1-39, Grant Killey 3-34, Quentin Tiemeyer 4-27, Wayt 2-2.

Passing: Darlage 5 for 10, 148 yards, 1 touchdown.

Receiving: Wayt 1-56, Engle 1-42, Tiemeyer 1-20, Cummings 1-19, Zike 1-11.