Friday night proved to be another difficult football game for the Brownwood Lions as they fell 56 – 15 to the Graham Steers. Graham scored quickly in each quarter and only allowed the Lions 2 scoring drives. The Lions has 282 yards of offense with only 20 of that rushing.
Brownwood’s Head Coach Chuck Howard stated that he was disappointed how the game turned out.
“We started with some punts that cost great field position and turnovers,” stated Howard. “I’m most disappointed because that’s just not who we are.” He explained that the Lions’ kicker has not played in a year or two and that he wasn’t getting good height in his punts.
“We’re not getting it (the ball) down the field, not executing well. Obviously we’ve got to get better,” said Howard. “We couldn’t run the ball. They have a very good defensive football team, and for us it’s crucial to run the ball. They are very good on defense and we didn’t do a good job up front.”
Howard was frustrated at the 3rd & 1 and 4th & 1 plays that didn’t get converted. “You ought to be able to line up and whoop someone to at least get a yard.”
Speaking of past two defeats and the player’s loss of confidence, Howard stated that it will be different next week when many players will return after having been suspended, “ That’s not who we are,” he said. He stated that the team has to be “playing to win, play fearless,” and that is not what the team did Friday.
“In the second half, we did a better job, we seemed to play a little more aggressive but it was just too late,” said Howard. “The kids worked hard this week, but we are lacking a little bit of confidence. We’ll get more kids back next week, have some reinforcements coming in next week.”
He explained that there are 7 or 8 players that were playing offense and defense and were just exhausted. Although they were exhausted, he was proud how there were no injuries and just one player that experienced some cramps.
“We have to line up and play better,” he said. “We didn’t play well technique wise. We will get better.”
He stated that although Graham is a very good team, the youthful mistakes committed by the Lions made Graham look even better than they are.
“No matter what situation we are in, we put ourselves there. No matter how many players we have out, we have no excuses,” said Howard. He stated that the team needed to step up and make things happen, but that it seemed as if they were waiting for someone to make something happen.
Howard stated that he was proud how Brian Johnson came to play in the secondary. In looking at the rushing statistics of the game, Howard was disappointed.
“We just didn’t play Brownwood Lions football,” said Howard. “If you can’t run the ball and are one dimensional, you can’t win. We’ve got to move the ball, control the ball, get 1st downs and keep the ball out of explosive team’s hands.”
When asked about the Snyder game next week, Howard stated that he was only worried about getting the Lions prepared and get them to rebound.
“We’re going to rebound. The kids and coaches are working and we’ll be ready for Snyder next week,” promised Howard. “If we play the way we are capable of playing, everything will take care of itself.”
The mental aspect from defeat for players is huge Howard explained.
“Our kids will bounce back, this is not who we are, our kids are growing a lot,” said Howard. “I’m committed, our kids are committed and our coaches are committed – we are going to find a way to win some games.”
Howard stated that he is very proud of the team and how they continue to play with heart.
“Everyone has got to man-up, everybody has got a job to do,” he said. “I’m convinced we are going to get things done. I’m proud of our kids.”
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Scoring plays:
Q1
8:22 7-0 GHS’s Gonzales makes a 21 yard run completing a 44 yd drive in 4 plays. Extra point was
good.
5:53 14-0 Gonzales makes a 3 yard run finishing a 46 yard drive in 3 plays. The extra point was
good.
4:03 20-0 Gonzales makes a 5 yard run, completing the 29 yard drive in 6 plays. Extra point was
good.
1:23 28-0 Gonzales makes a 5 yard run, the end of the 27 yard drive in 4 plays. Extra point was
good.
Q2
7:03 28-8 Lions’ Brian Johnson makes a 2 yard reception on a swing pass, completing a 64 yard
drive in 10 plays. Kaimon Ontiveros makes the 2 point conversion.
6:27 34-8 GHS’s Reeves makes a 58 yard reception for the touchdown, completing a 62 yard drive
in 2 plays. Extra point was good.
3:01 42-8 GHS’s Davis makes a 20 yard reception, completing the 78 yard drive in 4 plays. The
extra point was good.
Q3
6:00 42-15 Johnson makes an 8 yard touchdown, completing a 97 yard drive in 8 plays. Extra point
was good.
4:50 49-15 Reeves makes a 78 yard carry on 3rd and 20 completing the 82 yard drive in 3 plays.
The extra point was good.
Q4
9:50 56-15 After a turnover, GHS’s Martin gets a hand off and runs in from the 2 yard line. This
completed a 19 yard drive in 2 plays in just 33 seconds. The extra point was good.
Statistics
BHS GHS
Total Yards 282 570
Rushing Yards 20 197
Passing Yards 262 373
1st Downs 13 27
Punts 8/30.6 yard avg. 4/46.3 yard avg.
Turnovers 2 lost fumbles None
Penalties 4/20 9/85
Keesee was 31/43 and had 254 passing yards.
Graham’s Davis was 20/26 with 373 yards.
