That highly anticipated first place vs. second place showdown to determine who can claim the Mid-Southern Conference title? Yeah, it wasn’t all that dramatic.

Thanks to another strong, all-phases performance, Brownstown Central’s football team turned an expected back-and-forth battle into a one-sided 42-7 victory over Scottsburg on Friday night.

The win gave the Braves (9-0) outright control of their 25th conference title and secured the 14th undefeated regular season in BC football history. Thirteen of those perfect seasons have come during the 32-year tenure of head coach Reed May.

“Defensively, we just played outstanding,” May said. “I mean, to hold that team to seven points. We felt like last year we had a good game plan against them, and we just kind of changed a few things. Being on fall break, it turned out pretty good because our kids came in at 7 a.m. every day. We watched film and practiced in the morning. They knew our game plan very well. It got so redundant that they were telling me what to do. They executed the game plan great.”

Scottsburg, winners of six straight games, entered Friday’s contest red-hot. During their streak, the Warriors (6-3) scored an average of 44.2 points while allowing just seven points per game.

Brownstown trampled all over those numbers. The defense was particularly unkind, holding the Warriors scoreless in the first half for the first time all season.

On Scottsburg’s 37 called pass plays, quarterback Nathan Byrd was sacked six times for losses of 53 yards, intercepted once by linebacker Grayson Cassidy and threw 20 incompletions.

Senior defensive end Cameron Markel, who led BC with eight tackles and had 1.5 sacks, said Scottsburg’s 23-14 win on Brownstown’s field two years ago provided extra incentive on Friday.

“Two years ago, they disrespected us on our field, but we kept our mouths shut, and we played the game,” Markel said. “I think we executed very well, and we played our keys right.”

The Braves limited Scottsburg to just three of 16 third-down conversion attempts. The Warriors’ talented running back, Landon Shuck, was held to 81 yards, half of his 163.9 average, on 26 carries.

With the defense holding the opponent in check, the Braves’ offense worked through its own struggles with Scottsburg’s hounding defense. BC’s strong running attack managed just 16 yards on its first eight carries, forcing Brownstown to turn to its passing game.

No problem. Quarterback Micah Sheffer connected with receiver Easton Branaman for a 15-yard gain on a third-and-13 play to extend BC’s opening drive of the game.

Two plays later, the two reprised the hitch-and-go play that worked so well against Madison two weeks ago. This time, Branaman separated just enough from his defender to corral a 37-yard touchdown pass that gave Brownstown a 7-0 lead.

Branaman again led BC receivers with three catches for 60 yards. His 16 receptions for 265 yards are season-bests for the Braves.

“(Easton) brings a great attitude every day,” Sheffer said. “He puts in a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Tonight, he did a phenomenal job. He made a couple great catches where he was getting hit. A lot of other guys, as soon as they get hit, they drop it, but he held on and got some crucial third downs for us.”

Sheffer’s second passing TD of the night, a 26-yarder to slotback Gregory Hutcheson, helped the Braves accomplish a rare and game-changing feat: they scored on the last play of the first half and then again on the first play of the second half.

Up 14-0 in the second quarter, Brownstown stopped Scottsburg and regained the ball with 1:13 left in the first half. The Braves assembled an uneven drive and were stuck at the Warriors’ 26 yard line with four seconds left.

Following a timeout, Sheffer found Hutcheson uncovered on the left sideline. With the halftime buzzer sounding, Hutcheson reached the endzone and gave BC a 21-0 lead.

“We really like that route,” Sheffer said. “We’ve been working on it all year. We’ve been saving it for a big play like that. We’re hoping for our wide receiver to take that left safety with him, and that opens up the left side of the field. Greg ran a great route. To get it 21-0 and then get the ball after half was huge.”

The opening kickoff of the second half from Scottsburg kicker Tucker Doriot actually bounced before it got to BC’s Preston Garrison at the 20 yard line. The junior, absent the previous two weeks while recovering from a shoulder injury, broke through the Warriors’ coverage and motored past Doriot for an 80-yard touchdown return.

“I picked it up and just went,” Garrison said. “See the hole and hit it. (Hutcheson) had a good block. Trevor (Branaman) had a good block. All the blockers did really well. I’m a good one-on-one runner, so I figured I could just get past (Doriot).”

Garrison has a 76-yard punt return TD and an 83-yard TD reception this season to go along with his 80-yarder on Friday night. Most importantly, his return gave the Braves a 28-0 lead.

“Our special teams are doing pretty good,” May said. “We’ve blocked a lot of kicks this year. (Hutcheson) has had a kickoff return (for a touchdown). Garrison’s got a punt and a kickoff return. We’ve got some pretty good athletes back there.”

The cushion provided by the two plays just before and after halftime proved to be vital. Scottsburg, after being held to 72 total yards in the first half, ramped up its passing attack in the third quarter and put together its best possession after Garrison’s touchdown.

Byrd completed two 30-yard passes while leading the Warriors on an eight-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a Garrett Boling touchdown reception.

That proved to be Scottsburg’s only score of the night, however. In the fourth quarter, Garrison added a two-yard scoring run and Trevor Branaman scored from five yards out to push BC’s lead to 35 points, tripping the mercy-rule running clock for the seventh time this season (all of them conference games).

Scottsburg’s defense held Brownstown’s running attack to a season-low 201 yards. The Braves returned the favor by holding the Warriors to a low mark of 35 rushing yards.

Hutcheson led BC’s runners with 78 yards. With his second-quarter 16-yard TD run and late first-half touchdown reception, the senior has scored at least two TDs in each of the Braves’ nine games this season. His 21 total touchdowns lead the team.

Sheffer ended the night with 86 yards on 4-for-10 passing. Scottsburg’s Byrd finished with 193 yards on 11-for-31 passing.

Defensively, Joe Roberts shined with seven tackles, 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. Cassidy, Evan Stahl and Isaac Hutchinson also contributed sacks. Markel (one) and Hutchinson (two) each added tackles for loss. Brock Dean recovered a fumble.

The Indiana high school football world now turns its attention to the postseason, which starts next week. Brownstown travels to Switzerland County (6-3) for a first-round Class 2A Sectional 40 matchup. The Braves are hoping to win their first sectional title since 2018.

“I think we’ve got a really good shot of going all the way,” Markel said. “But we’ve got to keep doing our keys right, we have to have the mentality and the energy to keep going. If one person gets down, the whole team needs to pick that person up so we can keep playing.”

Week 9 — Brownstown

Braves 42, Warriors 7

Scottsburg (6-3);0;0;7;0;—;7

Brownstown Central (9-0);7;14;7;14;—;42

First quarter

BC-Easton Branaman 37 pass from Micah Sheffer (Nathaniel Conyer kick), 6:49

Second quarter

BC-Gregory Hutcheson 16 run (Conyer kick), 2:47

BC-Hutcheson 26 pass from Sheffer (Conyer kick), :00

Third quarter

BC-Preston Garrison 80 kickoff return (Conyer kick), 11:48

S-Garrett Boling 8 pass from Nathan Byrd (Tucker Doriot kick), 9:16

Fourth quarter

BC-Garrison 2 run (Conyer kick), 10:10

BC-Trevor Branaman 5 run (Conyer kick), 1:24

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Scottsburg-Landon Shuck 26-81, Byrd 8-(-46), Totals 34-35. Brownstown-Hutcheson 16-78, Sheffer 9-29, Evan Stahl 4-28, T. Branaman 6-23, Garrison 7-22, Brock Dean 4-14, Lindan Lanier 3-7, Totals 49-201.

Passing: Scottsburg-Byrd 11 for 31, 193 yards, 1 interception, 1 touchdown. Brownstown-Sheffer 4 for 10, 86 yards, 2 touchdowns; Dean 0 for 1.

Receiving: Scottsburg-Matthew Wickey 7-135, Boling 3-49, Joshua Thomas 1-9. Brownstown-E. Branaman 3-60, Hutcheson 1-26.