Seymour’s football team will attempt something it hasn’t accomplished in more than five decades on Friday night: Beat Brownstown Central a third straight time.

Since the two county schools resumed their yearly rivalry in 2007, Seymour has twice defeated the Braves in consecutive years (2009-10 and 2015-16) but couldn’t claim the third win either time.

The Owls are currently riding a two-game winning streak against BC with their 28-24 victory in 2022 and a 41-20 win last season.

“I don’t know if you really need extra motivation for this game, but that’s something that we’ll throw out there this week,” Brownstown Head Coach Reed May said. “Our juniors have never beaten (Seymour) in high school, and our junior class is pretty good. Anytime you’re in a rivalry and you haven’t beaten them, that’s a thorn in your side.”

Brownstown won four straight against Seymour from 2011-14 and three in a row between 2019-21. The Braves own a slight 9-8 edge over the Owls since the county series was rebooted. When the earlier six-year run from 1966-71 is factored in — all of which were Seymour wins — the Owls hold an overall 14-9 advantage in the series.

“They were fairly young last season, and they brought back a lot of experienced players,” Seymour head coach Tyson Moore said. “They’re a much better football team this year. They’re at 5-0 and undefeated, and they have a lot of momentum. I look for them to be ready to play, and we must be able to match their intensity and energy. They do not make many mistakes, and we must be ready for a dogfight for four quarters.”

The Braves boast the state’s top offense with a 53.2-point scoring average and a No. 1 Class 2A ranking in both the Associated Press poll and the Sagarin Ratings. After scoring 50 or more points in the season’s first four games, Brownstown still managed 41 last week despite possessing the ball for just 18 of 48 minutes against ball-controlling North Harrison.

Seymour (2-3) also is feeling good after breaking a three-game losing streak and assembling its most complete performance in a 49-0 victory over Bedford North Lawrence last week.

May pointed to the Owls’ tough Class 5A schedule as evidence that the team in purple will be the toughest squad his Braves have face so far this season.

“If we had their schedule, what would our record be?” May mused. “Right now, we’re 5-0, and I think at times our kids think they’re a little better than they are. (Seymour’s) offensive line and defensive line are a lot better than what we have faced so far this year. This will be a stepping stone for us.”

Hoping his team has turned a corner, Moore said the goal is to build on the BNL win and prepare for the postseason, starting with Brownstown.

“We finally showed ourselves that we can put together a complete game of football, offensively and defensively,” Moore said. “It’s about getting our kids to understand the importance of this stretch as we go through the back half of the season, that we are setting ourselves up for the tournament. We have several great opponents ahead of us and executing on both sides of the ball will be the most important thing.”

Brownstown’s high-scoring offense has been ground-based so far this season, running for 359 yards per game and averaging an impressive 9.9 yards per carry. Senior Gregory Hutcheson is the lead rusher for the Braves with 652 yards and nine touchdowns on 39 attempts (16.7 average).

Juniors Jack Pace (28-220, six TDs) and Preston Garrison (17-215, three TDs) also are active components of BC’s running game.

Junior quarterback Micah Sheffer has not been asked to throw the ball much this season but has been effective. He has completed 54 percent of his passes (15 for 28) for 318 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.

Seymour counters with a balanced attack, led by quarterback Mikey Wright. The senior has thrown for 693 yards, two interceptions and six touchdowns on 62 for 101 passing (61 percent).

Wright’s favorite target is 6-foot-2 senior Jaylan Johnson, who has 351 yards and three TDs on 23 catches (15.3 average). Senior Logan Shelly is not far behind with 20 catches for two touchdowns and 144 yards.

On the ground, Seymour is paced by senior Nick Wheeler’s 218 yards and five touchdowns on 57 carries. Junior Traysean Hawkins (47-186, one TD) and Wright (38-174, five TDs) share the load with Wheeler.

“They’ve got some athletes on offense that we have to contend with,” May said. “Johnson is a heck of a receiver. Shelly is a heck of a receiver. (Wright) is playing better and better every game. Defensively, they have eight starters back from last year and we only scored 20 points against them last year. We’re going up against a team that’s got a lot of returning starters and a lot of experience.”

Senior Mason Nugent leads Seymour with 16 tackles for loss, followed by Curtis Burke’s seven and Bradyn Riley’s five. Nugent has a blocked punt and Burke has a blocked field goal this season.

Johnson has four interceptions, tied for third-most in the state.

“I love how hard our defensive line plays,” Moore said. “They’re not the biggest group by any means and our defensive ends for most teams would be considered way undersized. It’s the way they explode off the football to make tackles and cause problems. Our defensive backs have also gotten so much better from the beginning of this year. That was one of our biggest questions coming into this season. Our defense has just been ‘night and day’ different.”

In the overall Sagarin ratings, regardless of class, Seymour (with a 56.05 rating) is ranked 138th in the state while Brownstown (73.76) is 51st. Of course, during rivalry week, rankings and records can be thrown out.

“We’ve had some great football games against them,” Moore said. “They are always well-coached. They play fast and physical and they have some big guys. They always do things the right way. It doesn’t matter how good, bad or ugly Seymour or Brownstown is from year-to-year, it always is an amped-up game.”

After the Jackson Bowl, Seymour will face Jennings County and New Albany to finish off Hoosier Hills Conference play before the Owls host Bloomington South during the final game of the season.

Week 6 — Jackson Bowl

Seymour (2-3) at Brownstown Central (5-0)

Season Statistics

Seymour Leaders

Passing: Mikey Wright, 62-of-101 for 693 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Rushing: Nick Wheeler, 57 attempts, 218 yards and 5 touchdowns. Traysean Hawkins, 47 attempts, 186 yards, and 1 touchdown. Mikey Wright, 38 attempts, 174 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Receiving: Jaylan Johnson, 23 receptions, 351 yards and 3 touchdowns. Logan Shelly, 20 receptions, 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. Traysean Hawkins, 5 receptions, 94 yards and 1 touchdown.

Interceptions: Jaylan Johnson, 4.

Brownstown Leaders

Passing: Micah Sheffer, 16-of-29 for 323 yards and 5 touchdowns

Rushing: Greg Hutcheson, 36 attempts, 620 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jack Pace, 27 attempts, 217 yards and 6 touchdowns. Preston Garrison, 16 attempts, 205 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Receiving: Lane Pendleton, 7 receptions, 115 yards and 1 touchdown. Easton Branaman, 3 receptions, 81 yards and 1 touchdown. Preston Garrison, 1 reception, 83 yards and 1 touchdown.

Interceptions: Jaxson Johnson, Owen Wischmeier, 3.

Brownstown Players of The Week

Offensive Back: Micah Sheffer

Offensive Line: Ty Brown

Defensive Line/MLB: Isaac Hutchinson:

Defensive Back/Dime: Jaxson Johnson

Special Teams: Nathaniel Conyer