Brownwood is headed to its 22nd straight 7-on-7 state tournament, which will be held June 23-24 at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex in College Station.
Coming off a 2-1 performance at the Brownwood qualifier this past weekend, Lions head football coach Sammy Burnett said of the team goals in Jim Ned, “I just want to see growth. When we touch the football we ought to score, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t. That’s my goal, I want perfection. We won’t attain ever it I don’t think, but I want to get as close as possible. I want to see us scoring in the 30s and 40s. Defensively, if we keep holding people to two scores we should win every game we play.”
The Lions will play just twice Friday against Class 4A Division II Levelland at 10:30 a.m. and Class 3A Division I Jim Ned at noon on the Indians’ home turf. Brownwood’s first game Friday was to be against Weatherford Christian, which backed out of the tournament.
Levelland is coming off a 1-9 campaign, while Jim Ned posted a 12-1 mark a year ago. The Lions and Jim Ned crossed paths this past weekend, with Brownwood dropping a 14-13 decision on the last play of regulation.
Against Jim Ned, a Lions pass was picked off in the end zone on the final snap of the game, and the Indian defender appeared to be tagged down on the 2 yard line. However, the officials ruled the Jim Ned player was never touched, and he returned the interception for a tying touchdown. With time expired, the Indians then converted the extra point to snatch the victory.
The Lions are 5-5 in 10 state qualifying game thus far as the offense has scored on 24 of 64 possessions – a 38 percent success rate – while the defense has yielded touchdowns on 19 of 63 drives – a mere 30 percent.
Brownwood quarterback Ike Hall has connected on 145 of 244 passes – 59 percent – with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while being whistled for four seconds – the equivalent of a sack in 7-on-7 – on 42 occasions.
Leading receivers for the Lions include Jason Jackson (53 catches, 7 TDs), Konlyn Anderson (28 catches, 4 TDs), Case Markham (23 catches, 5 TDs), Jordan Leach (15 catches, 1 TD), Brayden Daub (12 catches, 2 TDs), Thad Hinds (7 catches, 3 TDs), Jake Jetton (6 catches, 1 TD), Jaylan Brown (2 catches), Hayden Noe (1 catch), and Jordyn Nickerson (1 catch).
Defensively, no team has reached the 20-point mark against Brownwood, which has yielded two touchdowns or less in seven of 10 qualifying games. The Lions have also picked off eight passes – including four last week – in 10 outings, led by four from Noah Barron, two from Colton McMillan, and one each from Morsello Hooker and Jetton.
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