After a spirit filled week, the Brownwood Lions fought a hard game but fell 40-21 to their longtime rivals the Stephenville Yellow Jackets Friday night at Gordon Wood Stadium. This was the Lions’ and Yellow Jackets’ first district meeting since 2003, making the game quite significant.
Lions’ Coach Chuck Howard stated that although the Yellow Jackets were ranked fourth in the state coming into the game, the Lions faced the game as an opportunity to play a good team and learn from them.
“There’s a lot of history of this game with the rivalry. It’s a big game, but it’s our first district game,” said Howard before the game. “We prepare for each game and each opponent each week. We’re taking this as an opportunity to play the #4 team in state here at Gordon Wood.”Although the outcome was not what the team or coaches wanted, Howard stated that he was disappointed but extremely proud of the effort the team put forth.
“They did a tremendous job up front on both sides of the ball and held their running game,” said Howard. “They put their heart and soul into this game, they worked hard and they played hard. The offensive and the defensive lines played extremely well.”
The Lions gained a lot of momentum going in the first half, getting to the quarterback several times and keeping the score within one touchdown. In the second half, Connor Howard was reported to have a foot injury and was out for the rest of the game, taking away some of that momentum. Stephenville held the Lions scoreless until the last 5 seconds of the game, ending the game 40-21.
Howard stated that the team came out moving the ball in the second half, but after a turnover on a fumble in the 3rd quarter, they lost some momentum. He explained, “When you play a good team, you have to execute and score when given an opportunity. We didn’t execute as well on offense to keep up with them.”
With both home and visitors sides having a big and noisy crowds, the team could feel the energy, according to Howard.
“There was a lot of excitement this week in the community, rallying around our players. The crowd (tonight) was tremendous,” said Howard. “Because of the support of the community for our players, they are giving everything they can.”
Howard said once again that the team is going to work Saturday to prepare for their next match up against the Wylie Bulldogs in Abilene Friday, October 17th. Although this is another top ten team in state rankings, Howard said the team will be ready.
“It was the first district game and that was why it was important to get over this game and the fact that it was Stephenville and being beat by a rival is huge, but it is one game and one game only. Now I am going to challenge our players that we’re going to get through this tonight, and tomorrow morning I expect you to get up and we’re going to go to work and prepare for Wylie,” said Howard. “We’re going to go over there and get after their rear end. Obviously they are a great football team. We’re going to prepare for them just like we do every week. I know our boys are going to get after them and we’ll see what happens. I have got a lot of confidence in this group of young men and this team and the direction we are heading.”
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bulldog Stadium in Abilene.
Check the Brownwood News Facebook page for a photo gallery of Friday’s game or CLICK HERE for a direct link.
Scoring Plays:
Q1
9:35 7-0 SHS’s Kaegun Williams makes a 2 yd touchdown completing a 75 yard drive in 7 plays, taking 2:25 off the clock. The extra point was good.
5:48 7-6 Diaz makes a 3 yard rushing touchdown finishing up a 63 yard drive in 9 plays. Oviedo’s attempt for the extra point was blocked.
Q2
10:00 14-6 Williams makes a touchdown from 3 yards out completing the 96 yard drive in 8 plays, taking 3:00 of the clock. The extra point was good.
7:14 21-6 John Nowell makes a 34 yard touchdown reception completing the 39 yard drive in 3 plays in just 1:15.
0:25 21-14 Diaz makes a 2 yard rushing touchdown followed by Grant Lewis making the two point conversion. This completed the 71 yard drive in 14 plays taking 7:00 off of the clock.
Q3
8:35 28-14 Nowell makes a 9 yard touchdown reception and the extra point is good. This completed a 27 yard drive in 6 plays in 2:10.
4:05 34-14 Austin Stufflebean makes a 12 yard touchdown, wrapping up the 72 yard drive in 6 plays. The extra point is no good.
Q4
2:07 40-14 Matthew Chapman made a 6 yard rushing touchdown, completing the 66 yard drive in 8 plays.
0:05.6 40-21 Riley Gregory made a 39 yard touchdown reception to finish up the 75 yard drive in 6 plays.
