Brownstown Central’s football team may face its toughest test of the season when it takes on injury-addled Salem on Friday.

The Lions (1-2) looked solid in a 22-12 win over North Harrison in the opening game of the season but were at less than full strength in losses to Silver Creek and Scottsburg.

Chief among the injured were senior quarterback Adam Mull and senior running back Noah Deaton. Brownstown Central head coach Reed May said he expects both to return for Friday’s game with the Braves (3-0).

“They’re the best team we’ve played so far, if they’re healthy,” May said. “(Mull’s) a good quarterback but he hasn’t played since North Harrison. He’s supposed to be back. Their starting fullback (Deaton) did not play last week, and he’s supposed to be back. They had a couple other linemen and linebackers that did not play last week that are supposed to be back.”

Stepping forward in the absence of injured starters has been sophomore running back Logan Dent. The 185-pounder is averaging 135 yard per game with a season-high 179 against Silver Creek two weeks ago.

“He started last year as a freshman,” May said. “He’s a good running back. He does a good job running the ball.”

Salem’s run-heavy offense is averaging 209 yards on the ground, setting up an interesting challenge for a Brownstown Central rush defense that so far has allowed negative-44 yards on 58 attempts. Overall, the Braves’ defense has yielded just 142 offensive yards on 99 plays.

With consecutive shutouts against Charlestown and Eastern, the defense will look to match the 1969 BC team’s program-record three straight shutouts.

“Clay Brown, our defensive coordinator, and our defensive coaches have done a great job the last three games,” May said. “And I really compliment our kids because they’ve executed our game plan. Our defensive game plan is usually pretty complicated. We’ve got a lot of reads at all our positions. The good thing is a lot of stuff that we did against Eastern and a lot of stuff we’re doing against Salem will carry over to the tournament. That’s the biggest thing I try to tell the kids, that the things we’re doing now, we will use again, so let’s execute and learn from it now.”

Last season, BC blanked Salem, 47-0, at home. Friday’s game, which will be played on Salem’s new turf field, will be the two schools’ 67th meeting, the most of any opponent in Brownstown’s history. Brownstown owns a 45-21 record against the Lions, including 32-4 during May’s 32-year tenure.

In three games so far this season, the Braves are executing at a historic level. The offense’s 171 points are a program-best through three games (bettering the 2013 team’s 167 points) while the defense’s 20 points are sixth best for this point in the season (the 2002 squad allowed just seven points in three games).

Offensively, BC is led by senior Gregory Hutcheson who boasts two 100-yard rushing games and six touchdowns. His 398 yards on 25 carries (15.9 average) is tops among Brave runners. Jack Pace (17-135, three TDs) and Preston Garrison (10-118, two TDs) follow.

Quarterback Micah Sheffer enjoyed his best passing performance last week, hitting four of six passes for two touchdowns and 83 yards. He is 11 for 21 for 270 yards and four TDs on the season.

Brownstown’s good work has been noticed by the state’s pollsters. The Braves moved up from their No. 5 ranking in both Class 2A polls last week to No. 2 in this week’s coaches poll and No. 3 in the latest media poll. Lafayette Central Catholic is No. 1 in both polls. North Posey holds the No. 2 spot in the media poll.

Two potential opponents in Brownstown’s sectional also appear in this week’s polls. Tell City (3-0), 17th in both polls last week, is No. 18 (media) and No. 19 (coaches) after a 41-24 win over Forest Park. Previously unranked Paoli moved into the No. 16 slot in the coaches poll following a 41-26 win against Springs Valley.

Players of the Week (Week 3)

Offensive Back: Greg Hutcheson

Offensive Line: Drew Shelton

Defensive Line/MLB: Owen Wischmeier

Defensive Back/Dime: Roshaun Hehman

Special Teams: Joe Roberts