Up for vote on texasfootball.com as one of the Top 10 high school football rivalries in the state, the “Battle of 377” resumes Friday as District 5-4A Division I kicks off with the 79th clash in 83 years between the Brownwood Lions and Stephenville Yellow Jackets.
The Lions (2-3, 0-0) will host the Yellow Jackets (2-3, 0-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gordon Wood Stadium in a game originally scheduled for the final night of the regular season. However, due to concerns of potential game cancellations due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the district’s Week 11 games were moved to Week 6 to leave an extra week at the end of the season to make up any postponed games to avoid forfeits.
“I wanted the break but it is what it is,” said Lions third-year head coach Sammy Burnett. “We’re passing up our bye and moved our season up so hopefully we don’t get caught by the coronavirus. The decision was made by the district executive committee. Not everyone was for it and not everyone was against it, but we were outvoted. That’s a decision all the superintendents in the district make and if you get outvoted, you get outvoted.”
The Lions are looking to bounce back from a 28-7 homecoming loss to Abilene Wylie in which Brownwood failed to score an offensive touchdown and committed six turnovers.
“We had a lot of soul searching and we spoke to our kids, we were very honest with them and I had some great conversations with coaches,” Burnett said. “The first thing as a coach is you want to blame yourself and that’s what you should do. We’re the ones getting out there and inevitably leading those kids to success and we didn’t do that Friday night and we took it all very personal. We’re going to find the best avenue for us to get those kids in the position they need to be in to be successful. We have a very difficult run ahead of us and all you can do is play one game at a time and go one day at a time. We’re doing everything we can to get better from now until Friday at 7:30 p.m. when Stephenville comes to town.”
Stephenville, meanwhile, snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a 46-33 victory over then-No. 3 Dumas.
“They’re really hot right now, they’re gelling at the right time. They had a big game against Dumas last Thursday that we were able to see,” Burnett said. “They’re in the same boat we are. They’ve played a strong schedule, some good opponents. You watch them on film one game and they don’t look real great and then you watch them the next week and they look like a polished machine, which is sort of the way we’ve been. We’ve showed up in some ball games and there’s others where we haven’t showed up.”
Though Burnett would have preferred the break, he welcomes the reset that comes with the start of league play.
“It’s a new season, it’s a new start, it’s an opportunity to rectify what we’ve done previously in some of the games we’ve played, get our momentum going and gel at the right time,” Burnett said. “We’re really 0-0, you can look at it however you want, but it counts now. For us, we don’t care who we play, it’s how we play. We feel like if we play to our potential we have a chance to be in any game we play.”
The Lions enter the contest averaging 23 points and 253 yards – 130 and 123 passing – per outing with 14 turnovers, and a half dozen of those occurred last week.
Behind the line of Brad Robinson, Jimi Brown, Ethan Pesina, Jared Northcutt and Logan Gillem, Royshad Henderson has rushed for 631 yards and nine touchdowns, while Chance Jones has connected on 42 of 67 passes for 433 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Leading receivers include Dane Johnson (19-177), Jason Jackson (14-239, 3 TDs), Elias Huerta (8-73), Henderson (6-62, TD), Khyren Deal (2-48) and Malachi Revada (1-15).
“We’re still working with our linemen and we have to be able to run the football,” Burnett said. “Defensively, I think they understand what they’re doing scheme wise, but I think there’s opportunities with numbers in the box to move the football. That’s still our No. 1 goal, we’ll be able to play action better and then press them vertically as well.”
Stephenville has yielded an average of 46 points per game this season as each foe the Yellow Jackets have faced has tallied at least 32 points, with two opponents surpassing 60 points. Stephenville has recorded 8.5 sacks as a team but collected just four turnovers, with three coming on interceptions.
The Yellow Jackets defense is led by Reese Young (76 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 2 sacks), Kevin Bowery (47 tackles, 6 for loss), Trace Morrison (42 tackles, 1 for loss), Grayson Traweek (35 tackles, 3 for loss), Colton Accomazzo (33 tackles, 1 for loss), Harrison Barkley (32 tackles, 2 for loss) and Corbin Poston (32 tackles, 1 for loss).
Aside from a 70-yard, shutout loss to Lampasas in Week 2, the Yellow Jackets offense has averaged 52 points per game in its other four contests – scoring 58 twice while tallying no fewer than 45 points.
“The strong suit of their team right now is their offense,” Burnett said. “They do a great job running the football with great RPOs off their run game, and they’ll press the field vertically. If you give them a one-on-one match-up they’ll take a shot and throw it deep. If you’re playing off coverage they’ll throw the comebacks. They have a well balanced attack, they’re very big up front, not real fast but they’re real big, and they do a good job protecting the quarterback.
“Gavin Rountree, he’s doing a good job of operating and he’s starting to complete a lot of passes and he’s gelled into the quarterback they’re looking for. Their running back, Kason Phillips, is a very fast kid, a very physical kid. We played against him last year as well and he’s a very talented young man, catches the ball well coming out of the backfield so we’re going to try and contain him as well. But the receiving corps is the strength of their team. Coy Eakin and Trace Morrison, they’re led by those two kids.”
Rountree has completed 71 of 116 passes for 1,137 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 333 yards and seven touchdowns. Phillips anchors the ground game with 624 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, to go along with nine catches for 93 yards and two scores. Primary receiving threats include Morrison (26-569, 6 TDs), Eakin (16-241, 2 TDs), and Reece Elston (11-163, 2 TDs).
The Lions counter with a defense that surrenders 31 points and 339 yards – 248 rushing and 91 passing – per outing with nine takeaways.
Standouts include Deal (67 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 INT), Reece Bolton (41 tackles, 3 for loss), Revada (36 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 INTs), Kris Hobbs (33 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack, 1 FR), Dryden Anderson (27 tackles, 4 for loss), Blaize Espinoza (26 tackles, 1.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 FR), Konlyn Anderson (19 tackles, 2 for loss), Hunter Day (18 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR), Taylor Bessent (17 tackles), Zach Bond (14 tackles, .5 for loss), Zaiden Lopez (13 tackles, 1 for loss, 1.5 sacks), and Tyler Tiner (13 tackles, 1 for loss).
“We’ve got to stop the run then and that will solidify us working on the RPOs and not having to worry about both of them,” Burnett said. “We need to make them be one-sided which gives us the advantage of knowing what they’re doing.”
On the health front, Henderson, Jones and Espinoza were nursing a variety of injuries throughout the week and their playing time may be affected due to that Friday night.
“Our kids are resilient, they’re going to work hard, they’re going to believe and we’re going to put the best product we can on the field Friday night and let the chips fall where they may,” Burnett said. “Just do what we can do, control what we can control, and right now the one thing we can control is Brownwood. Our goal is real simple, to get to the playoffs. That’s our No. 1 focus.”
According to Harris Rating Weekly, Brownwood is a 14-point underdog.
Brownwood Lions Football 2020 Season Stats
Through 5 Games (2-3)
TEAM OFFENSE
23.0 points per game (115)
253.6 yards per game (1,268)
130.2 rushing yards per game (651)
123.4 passing yards per game (617)
PASSING
‒ Chance Jones
42 of 67 for 433 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
‒ Blaize Espinoza
9 of 20 for 184 yards, 2 TDs
RUSHING
‒ Royshad Henderson
631 yards on 105 carries, 9 TDs
‒ Chance Jones
26 yards on 40 carries, 1 TD
‒ Blaize Espinoza
3 yards on 6 carries
‒ Konlyn Anderson
1 yard on 1 carry
‒ Team
–3 yards on 1 carry
‒ Dane Johnson
–7 yards on 2 carries
RECEIVING
‒ Dane Johnson
19 catches for 177 yards
‒ Jason Jackson
14 catches for 239 yards, 3 TDs
‒ Elias Huerta
8 catches for 73 yards
‒ Royshad Henderson
6 catches for 62 yards, 1 TD
‒ Khyren Deal
2 catches for 48 yards
‒ Malachi Revada
1 catch for 15 yards
TEAM DEFENSE
31.0 points per game (155)
338.8 yards per game (1,694)
248.0 rushing yards per game (1,240)
90.8 passing yards per game (454)
TACKLES
‒ Khyren Deal
67 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 INT
‒ Reece Bolton
41 tackles, 3 for loss
‒ Malachi Revada
36 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 INTs
‒ Kris Hobbs
33 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack, 1 FR
‒ Dryden Anderson
27 tackles, 4 for loss
‒ Blaize Espinoza
26 tackles, 1.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 FR
‒ Konlyn Anderson
19 tackles, 2 for loss
‒ Hunter Day
18 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR
‒ Taylor Bessent
17 tackles
‒ Zach Bond
14 tackles, .5 for loss
‒ Zaiden Lopez
13 tackles, 1 for loss, 1.5 sacks
‒ Tyler Tiner
13 tackles, 1 for loss
‒ Jordan Leach
12 tackles
‒ Christian Chambers
11 tackles, 1 FR
‒ Royshad Henderson
10 tackles
‒ Cade Jetton
8 tackles, 1 FR
‒ Spencer Scull
7 tackles
‒ Chance Jones
7 tackles
‒ Elias Huerta
6 tackles
‒ Dane Johnson
5 tackles
‒ Baylor Tidwell
4 tackles
‒ Ethan Pesina
3 tackles
‒ Trevor Evans
3 tackles
‒ Case Markham
2 tackles
‒ Roman McKibbon
2 tackles
‒ Jimi Brown
1 tackle
TURNOVER MARGIN: (–5)
Brownwood 14 — 9 fumbles, 4 INTs
Opponents 9 — 5 fumbles, 4 INTs
