Preston Garrison returned the interception 40-yards all the way to the house for a pick-six on Friday against the Pacers.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
Brownstown running back Greg Hutcheson moves his way through the field during the sectional game with the Pacers on Friday night
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
BC receiver Lane Pendleton hauls in the reception for the first down on Friday night in the sectional game with Switzerland County.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
Brownstown’s Joe Roberts sacks the Switzerland County QB on Friday night deep in his backfield during the 42-point win over the Pacers.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
Brownstown’s Brock Dean makes the tackle for loss during the dominant win over the Pacers in sectionals.
Jeff Lubker | For The Tribune
VEVAY— Brownstown Central’s football team overcame an uneven start offensively before overpowering host Switzerland County, 50-8, in the first round of the Class 2A Sectional 40 tournament on Friday night.
The Braves (10-0) were limited to three points in the opening period as Switzerland County’s aggressive defense asserted itself. In the second quarter, however, rushing touchdowns by Preston Garrison, Brock Dean and Gregory Hutcheson helped Brownstown right itself and take a 22-8 lead into the half.
“Give (Switzerland County) credit, they played their hearts out,” BC head coach Reed May said. “You could tell they were fired up in pregame (warmups). They had a great game plan. They came out and flew around. In the second half — we hardly have anyone playing both (offense and defense) and they had a ton — I think they finally wore out.”
With Friday’s victory, Brownstown advances to next Friday’s sectional semifinal round where Paoli (10-0) awaits. Paoli defeated Eastern (Pekin), 42-0, in the first round.
While Brownstown’s offense needed time to find itself against Switzerland County, the defense was ready from the start. The Braves limited Switzerland County (6-4) to 67 total yards, including just nine rushing yards on 33 attempts.
Brownstown forced SC into five fumbles (one of which was recovered by Cameron Markel), three sacks, two interceptions, four punts and a turnover on downs.
Garrison returned one of those interceptions 40 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter to seal the game for the Braves. The junior cornerback was in deep coverage and raced across the field to pick off SC quarterback Alex Bailey’s pass.
“I had the deep zone,” Garrison said. “I was guarding a whole bunch of people at once. My job was just not to get beat deep. I read the quarterback’s eyes, broke on the ball and got the pick.”
Garrison has been a big-play scorer all season for the Braves. In addition to the 40-yard interception return, his list of touchdowns includes an 83-yard reception, an 80-yard kickoff return and a 76-yard punt return.
“He’s not that big, but he’s got a lot of heart and a lot of speed,” May said of Garrison. “He’s just a tough kid for us and we expect him to play well.”
The interception return gave Brownstown a 29-8 lead with 7:57 left in the third quarter. Four minutes later, Isaac Hampton, filling in for injured fullbacks Trevor Branaman and Evan Stahl, scored on a four-yard run to extend the lead to 36-8.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, BC quarterback Micah Sheffer connected with Easton Branaman, who made a nice fingertip catch, for a 29-yard TD reception that swelled the difference to 43-8 and started the mercy-rule running clock, the eighth of the season for the Braves.
Lindan Lanier, who also had an interception, closed out the scoring with a two-yard run that pushed BC to the 50-point mark for the first time since a 54-12 win over Salem six weeks ago.
BC’s offense ended with 205 yards on the ground, led by Hutcheson’s 66 yards on 13 carries and Garrison’s 50 yards on six attempts. Sheffer finished with 103 yards on 6-for-8 passing. Branaman paced the Braves with four catches for 59 yards.
Defensively, it was another strong night for BC’s D-line, which kept its opponent under 25 yards rushing for the sixth time in 10 games this season.
Joe Roberts ended with five tackles, two of them for loss, and combined with Markel on a sack. Markel had three tackles, while fellow defensive linemen Isaac Hutchinson and Caden Wischmeier each added three tackles.
“We have two really good defensive tackles with Joe and Hutch,” Wischmeier said. “Me and Markel, we’re pretty quick off the ball. We can keep contain pretty well and let those two go at it. We’re all really close, almost like a family. We’re coming in early, working on stuff, watching film. We’re just making each other better.”
Switzerland County’s lone touchdown, a nine-yard run by fullback Kolvin Beck in the second quarter, was just the fourth rushing TD given up with BC’s defense all season.
Unfortunately for the Braves, the win was costly. Stahl left the field in an ambulance after suffering a lower left leg injury while tackling SC’s Bailey in the second quarter. Before departing, the BC linebacker was enjoying his best game of the season with six tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss.
For the Pacers, the loss ended their best season since starting varsity competition in 2015. With a starting lineup replete with key returning players and a 27-man eighth-grade class arriving, head coach Ryan Jesop was upbeat after the defeat.
“Coach May has got a fantastic program and we’re trying to emulate it,” Jesop said. “Our culture is building and (Brownstown’s) culture is here. The big hump for us is believing that we deserve to be on the field. In the first half, our kids did that. (Brownstown’s) interior guys are really good on defense. They were hard to stop. But I’m proud of our kids for not backing down at all. They fought all the way to the very end. This is the best Switzerland County team we’ve ever had. Unfortunately, we drew the best team we’ve probably ever hosted.”
Braves 50, Pacers 8
Brownstown Central (10-0);3;19;14;14;—;50
Switzerland County (6-4);0;8;0;0;—;8
Scoring Summary
First quarter
BC-Nathaniel Conyer 28 field goal, 4:54
Second quarter
BC-Preston Garrison 9 run (kick failed), 8:52
BC-Brock Dean 5 run (Conyer kick), 7:29
SC-Kolvin Beck 9 run (Alex Bailey run), 5:42
BC-Gregory Hutcheson 6 run (kick failed), 2:24
Third quarter
BC-Garrison 40 interception return (Conyer kick), 7:57
BC-Isaac Hampton 4 run (Conyer kick), 3:43
Fourth quarter
BC-Easton Branaman 29 pass from Micah Sheffer (Conyer kick), 11:52
BC-Lindan Lanier 2 run (Conyer kick), 3:30
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Brownstown-Hutcheson 13-66, Garrison 6-50, Hampton 5-30, Trevor Branaman 4-21, Dean 3-20, Hunter Toppe 2-20, Eli Hutchinson 3-12, Lanier 2-(-2), Sheffer 2-(-12), Totals 40-205. Switzerland County-Michael Young 2-14, Matthew Young 6-8, Beck 2-5, Slade Parks 1-4, Bailey 16-(-3), Grayson Levell 1-(-3), Aiden Mosley 1-(-5), Keaton Mosley 4-(-11), Totals 33-9.
Passing: Brownstown-Sheffer 6 for 8, 103 yards, 1 touchdown. Switzerland County-Bailey 2 for 6, 58 yards, 2 interceptions.
Receiving: Brownstown-E. Branaman 4-59, Lane Pendleton 1-36, Garrison 1-8. Switzerland County-Josiah Holliday 1-40, Matthew Young 1-18.