With a pair of road victories under their belt, the Class 4A Division I No. 12 Brownwood Lions return to Gordon Wood Stadium Friday night seeking their first home win of the season, but another stellar challenge awaits in the form of the 4A Division II No. 6 Glen Rose Tigers.

Kickoff between the Lions (2-1) and Tigers (3-0) is set for 7:30 p.m. as Brownwood begins its run of three straight games against currently undefeated foes, with trips to 4A Division II No. 10 Waco Connally (3-0) and 4A Division I No. 1 Stephenville (3-0) to follow.

Brownwood is coming off a 33-20 triumph at Burnet, a game in which the Lions trailed 14-0 after one quarter before finding their footing. Brownwood fifth-year head coach Sammy Burnett attributed last week’s struggles out of the gate to a poor week of practice, which the Lions have remedied during this week of preparation.

“We’ve had great days of practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” Burnett said. “I think we have a really good scheme for Friday night, but we do have some kids that are injured, and other guys are going to have to step up and fill roles, but they’ve done a good job with that. I’m really pleased with the kids, their chemistry and their desire to be successful. We’re ready to face a really good Glen Rose team and make it a dogfight that should be exciting.”

Glen Rose thus far this season has collected victories against Grandview (43-22), Gatesville (49-14) and Graham (49-14).

“This is a great opportunity for us to sharpen our skills before we get to district,” Burnett said. “They’re a Top 10, Top 5 team and have been there all year. They’re very senior heavy, about 23 or 24 kids out of the 36 on the roster. We’ve tried to play them for the last four years and we just haven’t been able to make that happen.”

The Tigers are averaging 47 points and 459 yards – 261 rushing and 198 passing – per outing, with three turnovers on the season. Quarterback Hudson White (40 of 66, 594 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; 494 rushing yards, 7 TDs) has been the driving force for the Glen Rose offense and will serve as the first dual threat behind center the Lions have faced since Abilene Wylie in the season opener.

“They’re very good offensively, have a lot of good skill kids and linemen, and they’ve put a lot of points on the board this year,” Burnett said. “The quarterback is really good and likes to run the football, and with a dual threat quarterback you want to try and take one of those threats away. We’re going to try and keep him from running, make him give it to a running back or throw it downfield. We want to make the decision for him and dictate what we want to do, not let them dictate and impose their will on us.”

Other weapons for the Tigers include receivers Ian Bailey (11-146, 2 TDs), Adrian Sanchez (10-140), and Camden Raymond (7-102, 2 TDs), as well as Braydon Brewton (210 rushing yards, 2 TDs) out of the backfield.

Tasked with slowing down the Glen Rose offense is a Lion defense that is allowing 22 points and 263 yards – 167 passing and 96 rushing – per game, with four takeaways. Brownwood’s defense has shown improvement as each of the first three games have progressed, as the Lions have given up just 14 of their 66 points allowed after halftime.

Standouts include Chance Jones (33 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 for loss, 1 punt block), Sam Kallman (26 tackles, 1 sack, 1 for loss, 1 fumble recovery), Stevie Ramirez (18 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 for loss), Quinten McCarty (17 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 punt block, 1 fumble recovery), Case Markham (17 tackles, 1 PBU), Cole Miller (11 tackles, 1 sack), Jake Jetton (10 tackles, 1 fumble recovery TD), Hayden Noe (10 tackles), Noah Barron (9 tackles), Jaylan Brown (8 tackles, 1 sack), Jordyn Nickerson (8 tackles), Morsello Hooker (7 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 interception, 4 PBUs), Hayden Deen (7 tackles), and Azariah Dillard (7 tackles).

On the other side of the ball, Glen Rose is surrendering 17 points per game, with 10 sacks and four takeaways.

Leading the charge are Caden McKenzie (41 tackles, 3 for loss), Tristan Mekhi Black (36 tackles, 6 for loss), Keltyn Raymond (27 tackles, 5 for loss, 3.5 sacks), Gage Edgar (20 tackles, 2 for loss), Josiah Groeneweg (18 tackles, 3 for loss), and Bodee Mausser (15 tackles, 2 INTs).

“They’re solid defensively with eight seniors on defense that are very good at what they do,” Burnett said. “We have to move the football on the ground, make good decisions and open up our passing game with play action. If they load the box, we’ll try and beat them in man to man. We feel like when we can do what we do, we’re as good as anybody and we plan on it being a ball game.”

Brownwood counters with an offense that produces 37 points and 404 yards per game on average behind a balanced attack of 212 passing yards and 192 rushing yards per contest. Keeping up that balance Friday night is among the keys to a Lion victory, according to Burnett.

“If they’re going to drop back and play their zones the way they want to and put five or six in the box we feel like that’s a very good opportunity for us to run the football,” Burnett said. “We’ve had some success against everybody we’ve played so far running the football, and I believe the run sets up the pass. Then when the box tightens up and the safeties creep in more and more to help with the run, we feel like we can beat them over the top in our passing game. I also think if they sit back in a zone, we can pick them apart if we make good reads, but everything is still dictated by the run. If we’re just dependent on the pass and they’re able to drop and cover in zones, that’s not a benefit for us. We feel like we have a good scheme, some things that are new, and we’ve been working really hard at that so I’m excited to see how that turns out.”

Behind the blocking of Chris Robinson, Roan Aguinaga, Damian Sanchez, Slayde Espinoza and Isaac Gray, quarterback Ike Hall has completed 38 of 64 passes for 638 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while rushing for 137 yards and two scores. Konlyn Anderson leads the way on the ground with 314 rushing and five scores, to go along with five catches for 36 yards. Logan McKibben has chipped in 106 yards and three rushing touchdowns, while receiving threats include Thad Hinds (14 catches, 299 yards, 1 TD) – coming off a career-best nine-catch, 185-yard effort – Jordan Leach (11 catches, 154 yards), Jason Jackson (5 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD), and Brayden Daub (3 catches, 42 yards).

Producing points on all drives is another focal point for the offense, and kicker Junior Martinez has helped with that by booting four of five field goals, with a long of 37 yards, to go along with kicking 14 extra points thus far.

“If we get inside the red zone, it’s important that we punch it in,” Burnett said. “Our goal is always to get points on every possession we have, whether it’s a touchdown or a field goal to continue to put pressure on the other team.”

The Lions are again battling the injury bug as Jackson (leg) and safety Dryden Anderson (knee) remain out indefinitely. Safety Colton McMillian (shoulder) will miss this week again as well, while Markham (shoulder) has not practiced all week. Burnett listed other players who are likely to play with their injuries as Hall (toe), Anderson (ankle), Sanchez (knee), Espinoza (knee), and Nickerson (broken knuckle).

“Football is a violent game, and our kids are going to get bumps and bruises but they’re being responsible and getting those things treated,” Burnett said. “We can handle the bumps and bruises, we can work through that and play through that. What we can’t handle is injuries that will sideline guys. We don’t have the depth where we can afford to continue to get hurt. Our prayer is always that we stay healthy and make it through the next three games, learn from those games and be victorious, and get ready for what we feel is going to be a really positive district race for us.”

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Brownwood is a 9-point underdog.

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Brownwood Lions 2022 Football Season Stats

Through 3 Games (2-1)

TEAM OFFENSE

37.3 points per game (112)

404.3 yards per game (1,213)

191.7 rushing yards per game (575)

212.6 passing yards per game (638)

59.5 completion percentage (38 of 64)

PASSING

* Ike Hall

38 of 64 for 638 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

RUSHING

* Konlyn Anderson

314 yards on 62 carries, 5 TDs

* Ike Hall

137 yards on 32 carries, 3 TDs

* Logan McKibben

106 yards on 17 carries, 3 TDs

* Case Markham

18 yards on 2 carries

RECEIVING

* Thad Hinds

14 catches, 299 yards, 1 TD

* Jordan Leach

11 catches, 154 yards

* Jason Jackson

5 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD

* Konlyn Anderson

5 catches, 36 yards

* Brayden Daub

3 catches, 42 yards

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TEAM DEFENSE

22.0 points per game (66)

263.3 yards per game (790)

167.0 rushing yards per game (501)

96.3 passing yards per game (289)

53.8 opponents completion percentage (28 of 52)

TACKLES

* Chance Jones

33 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 for loss, 1 punt block

* Sam Kallman

26 tackles, 1 sack, 1 for loss, 1 fumble recovery

* Stevie Ramirez

18 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 for loss

* Quinten McCarty

17 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 punt block, 1 fumble recovery

* Case Markham

17 tackles, 1 PBU

* Cole Miller

11 tackles, 1 sack

* Jake Jetton

10 tackles, 1 fumble recovery TD

* Hayden Noe

10 tackles

* Noah Barron

9 tackles

* Jaylan Brown

8 tackles, 1 sack

* Jordyn Nickerson

8 tackles

* Morsello Hooker

7 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 interception, 4 PBUs

* Hayden Deen

7 tackles

* Azariah Dillard

7 tackles

* Trent Loftin

6 tackles, 1 sack

* Davis Le

6 tackles

* Xavier Zepada

4 tackles

* Logan McKibben

4 tackles

* Tristan Salinas

1 tackle

* Brayden Daub

1 tackle

* Dryden Anderson

1 tackle

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KICKING

* Junior Martinez

4 of 5 FGs, long of 37

14 of 14 PATs

26 points

3 punts, 103 yards, 34.3 average

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TURNOVER MARGIN (-1)

* Brownwood: 5 (3 fumbles, 2 interceptions)

* Opponents: 4 (3 fumbles, 1 interception)

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PENALTIES

* Brownwood: 27 for 257 yards (9-85.7 per game)

* Opponents: 24 for 161 yards (8-53.7 per game)