The No. 10 Brownwood Lions have already secured a share of their first district championship since 2010 and can claim the 2-4A Division I crown outright with a road victory over the Andrews Mustangs.

Kickoff for the regular season finale for the Lions (7-2, 3-0) at Andrews (5-3, 1-1) is slated for 7 p.m. Friday.

“We’ve had some good days in practice and our kids are serious about what they’re trying to do,” said Lions fifth-year head coach Sammy Burnett. “They have all the confidence in the world in themselves and their abilities. Our kids truly believe in each other, they believe in the coaches, and they’re playing hard together and for each other.”

Even if the Lions were to come up short Friday, a scenario exists where Brownwood could still enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed from District 2. A defeat Friday would likely create a three-way tie for first place between Brownwood, Andrews and Lubbock Estacado (4-4, 1-1), but the Lions would still secure the league’s No. 1 spot in the postseason if Andrews is not victorious by more than 8 points.

The reason – Lubbock Estacado’s 42-36 overtime win over Andrews was scored differently than a typical game due it being extended to an extra session. Instead of Estacado being awarded six points for the win and Andrews losing six, Estacado picked up just one point and Andrews lost one because the game went into overtime.

Therefore, heading into Friday’s game Brownwood is at +15 points – the max awarded for a win – Andrews sits at -1 point, and Estacado is now at -14 and out of the mix for the top playoff seed.

The Lions, however, have no intention of leaving Andrews with a loss and have been dominant in their previous three outings against District 2-4A Division I competition, outscoring their foes 153-41 – an average of 51-14. Brownwood is also producing 458 yards per game in district action, with 318 of those yards coming on the ground, while giving up 301 yards per outing, but just 110 rushing. Defensively, the Lions have also forced eight of their 16 takeaways for the season since district action commenced.

For the season, the Lions are generating 39 points and 412 yards – 238 rushing and 174 passing – per contest behind the performance of linemen Chris Robinson, Roan Aguinaga, Damian Sanchez, Slayde Espinoza and Isaac Gray.

Quarterback Ike Hall has increasingly displayed his dual threat capabilities as the season has progressed, completing 87 of 157 passes for 1,349 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing for 674 yards and 10 scores.

Konlyn Anderson has hit his stride since the arrival of district action and has amassed 1,167 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.

The Lions receiving corps continues to showcase its depth as well with weapons such as Thad Hinds (32-574, 5 TDs), Jordan Leach (23-342, TD), Jason Jackson (14-326, 5 TDs), Brayden Daub (9-149) and Taylor Bessent (8-87, TD), who has emerged as a threat in the sniffer role in the Brownwood offense.

Along with the aforementioned 16 takeaways, the Lions defense yields just 19 points and 298 yards – 162 rushing and 136 passing – per outing.

Stalwarts are Sam Kallman (78 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 for loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery), Chance Jones (78 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 for loss, 1 punt block), Quinten McCarty (77 tackles, 10 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 punt block), Jake Jetton (66 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 fumble recoveries), Stevie Ramirez (56 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 for loss, 1 fumble recovery), Hayden Noe (45 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 PBU), Cole Miller (40 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), Noah Barron (35 tackles), Case Markham (32 tackles, 1 interception, 1 PBU), Jaylan Brown (27 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 for loss), Jordyn Nickerson (26 tackles, 1 for loss), Davis Le (26 tackles), Trent Loftin (25 tackles, 1 sack, 1 for loss), Hayden Deen (24 tackles), and Morsello Hooker (20 tackles, 1 for loss, 4 interceptions, 10 PBUs).

Andrews, coming off its bye week, has split its two district games thus far – a 33-0 victory over Lake View followed by a 42-36 overtime loss to Estacado, a game in which the Mustangs rallied from a 33-14 deficit to force the extra session.

The Mustangs have also fallen to Seminole (36-15) and Canyon (44-30) this season, but own a Week 1 victory over District 3-4A Division I front-runner Canyon Randall (11-7).

“They’re a really good football team that’s going to play for four quarters, play physical and play fast,” Burnett said. “They’re going to bring something offensively we haven’t seen, we know that with them having a bye last week, so we’re going to have to adjust during the course of the game.

“Offensively, we need to score every time we have an opportunity. Defensively, we have to figure out what they are doing, adjust fast, and then make sure we win the special teams game.”

Andrews is averaging 34 points and 364 yards – 216 rushing and 148 passing – per game, while the defense is giving up 23 points on average with 11 sacks and 17 takeaways, including a dozen interceptions.

Quarterback Ashton Galvan has appeared in all eight games and completed 58 percent of his passes for 894 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. Galvan is also the second-leading rusher for the Mustangs with 496 yards and team-high nine touchdowns on the ground. E.J. Lopez has appeared in five games at quarterback, completing 54 percent of his attempts for 290 yards with two scores.

Leading receivers for the Mustangs include Adolfo Valles (20-331, 4 TDs), Noah Tellez (14-95, 2 TDs), Indiana Taylor (12-178,2 TDs), Steven Hernandez (11-150, TD), Jarod Cargill (9-168, 3 TDs), and Cooper Ivison (6-126, 2 TDs).

On the ground, Tellez (678 yards, 4 TDs) is the top rusher while Taylor (204 yards) and Kamren Padilla (169 yards, TD) have seen time in the backfield as well.

The defensive charge for the Mustangs is spearheaded by Luis Cervantes (65 tackles, 10 for loss), Jaxon Lawdermilk (62 tackles, 10 for loss, 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery), Hagen Tuck (46 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 interceptions), Anthony Trevino (42 tackles, 10 for loss), and Shawn Parker (36 tackles, 7 for loss, 1 fumble recovery).

Weather could play a factor Friday night with wind chills expected in the 40s by the end of the game, thanks to a strong cold front earlier in the day. A slight chance of rain exists as well.

“We’re still going to run the football and we still have our quick passing game, our screen game, so if the wind’s so bad that we can’t force the ball downfield we still feel confident,” Burnett said. “If they play press man because of the wind and try and stop the run we feel we’re good enough to the throw it into the wind. We have a quarterback with a strong arm and he’s smart, and we feel like we can do that. We feel like that would put them at a disadvantage because I think our receivers are better than their coverage guys, especially if they want to play press coverage with zero man, so that could be a benefit to us.

“On the other side of it, if we’re pressing them and stacking the box because of the weather I feel that’s an advantage for us, too, because we have some skill guys that can cover their guys and they aren’t as efficient at passing the ball as we are. They’re more of a run heavy team and they’re going to try and get you on formations and motions and things like that we haven’t seen.”

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Brownwood is a 14-point favorite.

***

Brownwood Lions 2022 Football Season Stats

Through 9 Games (7-2, 3-0)

TEAM OFFENSE

39.4 points per game (355)

411.8 yards per game (3,707)

238.3 rushing yards per game (2,145)

173.5 passing yards per game (1,562)

56.1 completion percentage (97 of 173)

PASSING

* Ike Hall

87 of 157 for 1,349 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs

* Chance Jones

10 of 16 for 213 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs

RUSHING

* Konlyn Anderson

1,127 yards on 201 carries, 19 TDs

* Ike Hall

674 yards on 92 carries, 10 TDs

* Logan McKibben

226 yards on 42 carries, 4 TDs

* Jaylan Brown

82 yards on 11 carries

* Case Markham

20 yards on 3 carries

* Chance Jones

17 yards on 3 carries

RECEIVING

* Thad Hinds

32 catches, 574 yards, 5 TDs

* Jordan Leach

23 catches, 342 yards, 1 TD

* Jason Jackson

14 catches, 326 yards, 5 TDs

* Brayden Daub

9 catches, 149 yards

* Taylor Bessent

8 catches, 87 yards, TD

* Konlyn Anderson

8 catches, 56 yards

* Morsello Hooker

2 catches, 8 yards

* Hayden Noe

1 catch, 10 yards

###

TEAM DEFENSE

18.7 points per game (169)

297.8 yards per game (2,681)

161.6 rushing yards per game (1,455)

136.2 passing yards per game (1,226)

58.8 opponents completion percentage (110 of 187)

TACKLES

* Sam Kallman

78 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 for loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery

* Chance Jones

78 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 for loss, 1 punt block

* Quinten McCarty

77 tackles, 10 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 punt block

* Jake Jetton

66 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 fumble recoveries

* Stevie Ramirez

56 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 for loss, 1 fumble recovery

* Hayden Noe

45 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 PBU

* Cole Miller

40 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery

* Noah Barron

35 tackles

* Case Markham

32 tackles, 1 interception, 1 PBU

* Jaylan Brown

27 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 for loss

* Jordyn Nickerson

26 tackles, 1 for loss

* Davis Le

26 tackles

* Trent Loftin

25 tackles, 1 sack, 1 for loss

* Hayden Deen

24 tackles

* Morsello Hooker

20 tackles, 1 for loss, 4 interceptions, 10 PBUs

* Azariah Dillard

18 tackles

* Brayden Daub

15 tackles, 1 fumble recovery

* Logan Knight

12 tackles, 1 sack

* Logan McKibben

10 tackles

* Tristan Salinas

10 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack

* Jordan Leach

8 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 PBU

* Bryan Osbourn

7 tackles

* Colton McMillian

7 tackles

* Xavier Zepada

5 tackles

* Isaiah Rodriguez

3 tackles

* Junior Martinez

1 tackle

* Dryden Anderson

1 tackle

* Robert Trowbridge

1 fumble recovery

###

KICKING

* Junior Martinez

8 of 10 FGs – long of 45; 1 blocked

45 of 46 PATs

69 points

16 punts, 642 yards, 40.1 average – long of 58

###

TURNOVER MARGIN (+5)

* Brownwood: 11 (5 fumbles, 6 interceptions)

* Opponents: 16 (10 fumbles, 6 interceptions)

###

PENALTIES

* Brownwood: 61 for 624 yards (6.7 for 69.3 per game)

* Opponents: 62 for 533 yards (6.8 for 59.2 per game)