BROWNSTOWN— Keaton Burcham-Jones said he had a blast playing football at Brownstown Central High School.

He likes the sport so much he decided he wanted to play at the next level, and on Friday he signed a letter to play football at Hanover College beginning this fall.

“It is the best place for me,” he said. “It has everything I wanted. I love the coaches there. They’ve always been good for me, and it feels like a second home that I can live at and spend the next four years.

“We had our team camp there and I visited a few times by myself.”

Burcham-Jones was the Braves center the past two years and played defensive end.

He said he is going to Hanover for his favorite position, defensive end.

“It’s a lot of fun. I like rushing the passer and making plays. I like that stuff. That’s always fun.”

Last fall he received the Mason Watson mental attitude award, and repeated Mid-Southern all-conference team honors, and was named academic all-state.

Braves Coach Reed May said, “He’s a three-year starter at defensive end. On offense, we didn’t have to use him a lot, but when we did use him he did a great job.

“With him and Ryan (Branaman) at defensive end for three years it was really nice for our defensive line and front seven. He worked his butt off all season and made himself an athlete.”

He was among the Braves leading tacklers last fall, and said he has certain keys he watches for on every play.

“I watch what the lineman does in front of me, and then read off of him and go make the play if it’s coming my way.”

He looked forward to Friday nights in the fall for the past four years.

“It’s just so much fun. It was a place I could go and be myself and have fun. (May) has been an amazing coach. I could not have asked for better. I have learned so much from this program. The energy that gets brought every day, being with the group of people that I’m with, especially here, is amazing. The comradery is what I really love about it.”

“When I get to Hanover, I’m so excited to meet the new people.”

May said, “He will do well at Hanover. He’ll probably have to gain some more weight at Hanover. He’s got great speed and athleticism, his work ethic is great, and he’s a smart kid.

“He led by example and his work ethic helped our guys all season, and after being 6-5 the year before, I challenged our seniors that we needed to do something different, and those kids really led us this year and we were a very good football team this year.”

Burcham-Jones playing weight with the Braves was 205-210.

May said, “The biggest thing is the kids have to understand they are freshmen again. That’s so hard for a lot of kids to understand that they went from being a star in high school to now your back to being a freshman.

“The biggest thing is being patient and understanding that you’re not just going to go over and play. It just doesn’t happen that way.”

Burcham-Jones said he has enjoyed being a student at BCHS.

“The faculty here is great, the teachers have been amazing,” he said. “I’ve learned so much. Every time I come to this school, I learn something new. It’s been an amazing experience from the faculty to the students.”