The degree of difficulty has increased steadily for Brownstown Central’s football team as it gets deeper into its schedule. That trend figures to continue this week when the undefeated Braves host an improved Madison squad on Friday (7 p.m. kickoff).

“I think they’re the best team we’ve played so far,” Brownstown head coach Reed May said. “They play a tough schedule, that’s why they’re 3-3. Watching them on film, they’re impressive. It’ll be a challenge compared to last year.”

Last season, the Braves routed by 50 points a Madison squad that ended with a 1-9 record. This year, the Cubs (3-3) are on a different plane under first-year head coach Charles Benintende.

Madison defeated Scottsburg, who has since caught fire and sits just behind Brownstown in the Mid-Southern Conference standings, and scored 109 points while dispatching Carroll County (Ky.) and Jennings County.

All three of the Cubs’ losses, meanwhile, are to winning (South Dearborn) or ranked teams (Class 1A No. 2 Providence and Class 2A No. 9 Heritage Christian).

In four games since the loss to South Dearborn, the pass-heavy Madison offense has found traction. Quarterback Matt McCarty has thrown for 646 yards on 35-for-79 passing. His favorite target is the speedy Jake Dyer, a 5-foot-10 senior who scored on a 76-yard kickoff return, 74-yard punt return and 57-yard reception in a 44-point win over Carroll County three weeks ago.

“Offensively, they have some really good skilled athletes,” May said. “(Dyer) is a great receiver, hard to tackle, great kickoff return man. He is a really good athlete.”

The Cubs also field a couple of beefy running backs to complement Dyer’s quickness in 6-foot, 207-pound junior Joseph Stanley and 6-foot, 194-pound senior James Schafer.

“They’ve got some good running backs that they throw the ball to,” May said. “They give you everything. No backs, one back, two backs. They do all kinds of motioning. It’s a lot to prepare for.”

If any defense can prepared for Madison’s variety, Brownstown Central’s is it. The Braves have dominated defensively all season, earning three shutouts in six games and allowing just 5.8 points per game. The BC record for fewest average points allowed in a season is 6.5, set by the 1969 squad.

“So far, our defense has done well,” May said. “We feel like our front four is really good. (Isaac) Hutchinson and (Joe) Roberts at defensive tackle are a handful. And then (Cameron) Markel and (Caden) Wischmeier at defensive end have done a great job. But this week will be a challenge.”

In last week’s 27-0 shutout of Seymour, Hutchinson led the Braves with nine tackles and four tackles for loss. He and Wischmeier combined on a sack. Roshaun Hehman, Jack Pace and Gregory Hutcheson followed with four tackles each. In all, the Braves had 10 tackles for loss.

Madison, too, boasts an impressive defense. In last week’s 18-8 loss, the Cubs held Heritage Christian nearly 30 points under its 47.6-point average coming into the game.

“Defensively, they run a 3-5-3 and blitz quite a bit,” May said. “We’ve played teams that run this defense before. Silver Creek ran the same defense a few years ago. We used to run this defense years ago also. There’s advantages and disadvantages to every defense. We feel like we’ve got a plan, but sometimes a plan is good and sometimes it’s not.”

So far this season, BC’s plans have been good. The offense is averaging 48.8 points and 396 offensive yards, including 336 yards on the ground.

Hutcheson is pacing the Braves’ offense with 740 yards and 12 touchdowns on 55 rushes (13.5 average). Pace (257 yards, seven TDs) and Preston Garrison (252 yards, three TDs) are also key components in BC’s running game.

Quarterback Micah Sheffer has 330 yards and five touchdowns without an interception on 16-for-31 passing (52 percent).

Brownstown continues to be well-regarded in the latest Class 2A polls. The Braves are No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and Sagarin Ratings. They are ranked No. 2 in the USA Today and coaches polls, behind top-ranked Lafayette Central Catholic.

Madison is unranked in the human-based polls and is rated No. 35 in Class 3A in the data-based Sagarin Ratings. In the overall Sagarin Ratings, regardless of class, Brownstown is rated 48th (up from 51st last week) while Madison sits at 170th.

Brownstown is 3-0 all-time against Madison. The two schools first met in 1977, a 12-0 BC win. They next met in a memorable 2021 meeting that came together last-minute after both teams’ regularly scheduled games were cancelled due to COVID issues. The Braves won that back-and-forth contest, 49-35.

Players of the Week

Offensive Back:Greg Hutcheson

Offensive Line:Drew Shelton

Defensive Line/MLB: Joe Roberts

Defensive Back/Dime: Jack Pace

Special Teams:Nathaniel Conyer