GRIDIRON GLANCE ‘23: Brownwood Lions

August 20, 2023 at 6:59 am Updated: August 21st, 2023 at 7:04 am Derrick Stuckly

As head coach Sammy Burnett enters his sixth season in charge at his alma mater, the Brownwood Lions are coming off their first district championship since 2010; a three-round deep run into the postseason; JV, freshman and junior high squads that are all flourishing; and prospects for continued success that extend to this fall and well beyond.

“We feel like we have the ship turned and heading into the right direction,” Burnett said. “As a coaching staff we’ve had some stability and the kids have gotten used to what we do. Now we have to start hammering on that throttle and going full force to continue to build a program in the way that we see fit. We’re to a point now where we have to go from being good to being great and that comes by continuing to grow, continuing to work hard and continuing to expect great things in yourself.”

The Lions posted a 10-3 record in 2022, including a flawless 4-0 mark against District 2-4A Division I competition. But 2023 presents a fresh start as six defensive and only one offensive starter are back from last year’s squad. Preseason scrimmages against reigning Class 4A Division I Region I champion Decatur, a preseason Top 5 squad, and Lampasas have afforded the Lions to opportunity to work on their chemistry ahead of the Aug. 25 season opener at Class 5A Division II Abilene Wylie.

“We’re gelling a little bit and getting used to each other,” Burnett said. “We’re doing the best we can to keep as many kids as possible from going both ways. What that does for you is if we have a kid playing every snap on offense and defense, by the fourth quarter regardless of how hard they’re trying and how big their heart is, the body gets taxed and they can only go a certain speed. When you’re playing teams that are able to two-platoon and have 11 different guys on offense and defense they’re going to be fresher. What you’ve seen in the past in a lot of the seasons where we had kids going both ways is we can stay in ball games until about midway through the third into the fourth quarter and we start wearing down and sometimes we lost games because of that. That doesn’t mean if we have a kid that can play both ways we won’t get him on both sides of the ball, but maybe at times that it’s most important. For us to get as many kids ready to play as possible is a great goal because you don’t want them sitting on the sidelines. The more kids we can get on the field that feel worthy, the better off our program is.”

Defensively, where the Lions gave up 17 points and 269 yards – 153 rushing and 116 passing – yards per game last season, with 21 takeaways, key contributors at linebacker return in the form of Sam Kallman (134 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 for loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery) in the middle and Stevie Ramirez (81 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 for loss, 1 fumble recovery) and Jaylan Brown (48 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 sacks) on the outside.

The secondary features the return of cornerbacks Morsello Hooker (31 tackles, 1 for loss, 6 interceptions, 10 PBUs) and Jordyn Nickerson (47 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 interception), along with Jake Jetton at the nickel (Jake Jetton

108 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 fumble recoveries), while Hayden Noe (53 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 PB) and varsity newcomer Noah Gonzalez will man the safety spots.

Up front, Robert Trowbridge (4 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), Julius Lara, and Weston Wolf are taking over for Quinten McCarty (128 tackles, 17 for loss, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 punt block), Davis Le (47 tackles), and Cole Miller (63 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery) who will see most of their time on the offensive line this season, while being sprinkled in defensively from time to time.

Playing for the second season in a 3-3-5 design, Burnett feels the Lions are in position to perform even better defensively in 2023.

“The defense is comfortable in our scheme and comfortable with who they are, what their position is and they have a high trust factor in their teammates doing their job,” Burnett said. “They have a selflessness attitude and a confidence in each other and the team and they’ve gelled. They’ve played together, they know what’s going on. If we make a great play understand that we’re supposed to do that and get back in line and make another great play. If they gain yards, get first downs or even score touchdowns we have to reset and make sure it doesn’t happen again. The goal is to win every play and if you don’t win that play reset and play the next play. Don’t let one negative play create another negative play and they’ve been really good at that.”

Offensively, the Lions generated 40 points and 386 yards – 229 on the ground and 157 through the air – per game, but with only one piece of the puzzle back from 2022, Burnett expects the 2023 unit to take some time before its firing on all cylinders.

Joining returning starting quarterback Ike Hall (111 of 208 for 1,837 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs passing; 948 yards, 12 TDs) in the backfield will be varsity newcomer Levi Pearson, a sophomore who has shined in the preseason, along with a mixture of Brown (101 yards in 2022), Jetton, Gonzalez and Logan McKibben (289 yards, 6 TDs) at various points.

The receiving corps will feature Hooker, Nickerson and Hayden Noe in a limited capacity due to their defensive responsibilities, while varsity newcomers Xavier Zepeda and Carson Noe on the outside and Stone Ratliff and Aaron Edmonds in the slots could see the bulk of the snaps.

Joining left tackle McCarty, left guard Miller and center Le in the trenches will be the right side of the line in guard Aidan Packheiser and tackle Logan Knight.

“We go as Ike goes,” Burnett said. “He’s a talented young man who understands the system, our offensive line checks, and knows how to put us in the right position, we just need him to go out and lead and execute. Overall, we’re developing pretty well, but we still have to gel. We’ve got some young guys outside as receivers, we’ve got new running backs, and we’re a lot younger than we are on the offensive side than the defensive side. We’ve got some new faces up front, but we’re more than capable and feel that we’re as athletic as we’ve ever been up front.”

On the special teams front, senior Junior Martinez returns for his fourth season as kicker and punter, while the return duties were still up in the air following the Lampasas scrimmage.

“I honestly believe the most important phase of the game is special teams,” Burnett said. “The guys that are on special teams, I want them to understand how important they are and how important their role is in winning. They might not always score the touchdowns or stop the touchdowns, but they give us opportunities through field position and maybe turnovers to get the ball back. Kids are taking ownership in practice, taking it seriously, understand importance of switching the field and pinning opponent as deep as possible.

“The greatest bright spot in our special teams is our kicker Junior Martinez. His leg has developed over the course of four years. He’s kicking the ball in the end zone a lot, touch backs are huge, and his ability to kick a long field goal gives us the potential to put points on the board every time we touch the ball. He’s a true weapon that people sometimes overlook, but we lean on him.”

After the Lions visit Wylie for the season opener, another daunting list of pre-district opponents await in Marble Falls, Burnet, Glen Rose, Waco Connally and Stephenville.

“Wylie returns about 30 from last year’s roster and is going to suit up about 60 to 65 and we’ll suit up 32 to 35,” Burnett said. “But our kids always get up for that game and it will come down to the one that executes the game plan with the fewest flaws. Marble Falls is a different beast and a slot-T team that you have to try and put behind the chains, then make the most of your opportunities when you touch the ball. Burnet is always a tough opponent for us, it’s always a dogfight and a close game. Glen Rose was a little senior heavy last year and is having to replace some people, but they have a good core group back. Connally may be the 4A Division II team to beat this year and they have the Dave Campbell’s cover boy. We’ll have to find a way to be more physical than them and keep the ball out of their hands and try and impose our will like last year. And nothing needs to be said about Stephenville. Last year we went into halftime tied and came out in the second half and turned the ball over to give them some big opportunities. If we do that again against them, or any team of that caliber, they’ll blow the game open.”

As for some of the goals and objectives early in the season, Burnett said, “We have to learn to minimize mistakes in big ball games and find a way to get over the top and win a close game. When you build a program you lose big, then lose small, then win small, then win big. We’re to the point when we’re in tight ball games against really good teams, we have to win one small. If we can do that it will put us over the jump and they’ll know they can play with anybody. You can preach about winning, but eventually you have to win and that comes down to simple execution.”

Defense of the District 2-4A Division I championship begins Oct. 6 at Big Spring as the Lions attempt to run the table again after outscoring their league foes 200-44 in four contests a year ago. San Angelo Lake View visits Oct. 13 for homecoming, the Lions venture to Lubbock Estacado on Oct. 20 in a game that could decide the district title, and Andrews comes call in the regular season finale on Oct. 27.

“I expect us to do the same thing,” Burnett said of the Lions’ district goals. “I don’t think there’s a game we play in pre-district that is any less of an opponent than those district games. We should be battle-tested and prepared for those battles. We need to be healthy, pray that we’re injury free and that we have everybody out there able to play.

“The biggest dark horse in our district is Big Spring. They return a lot and they’re working hard. We have to set the tone in that game and if we do we’ll send a message to the rest of the district. Possibly the district championship will be between us and Lubbock Estacado. They’re returning a lot of guys from a young team last year. But our subvarsities did well against them and that has to translate to Friday night. In that game we can’t give up the big play to their big back and big receiver. We have to be more disciplined than them, get them behind chains, and move the ball on the ground to open passing game.”

With the goals for the regular season clear, the Lions in mid-November will then turn their focus to the pursuit of the program’s eighth state championship and first since 1981.

“This team can be as good as they want to be,” Burnett said. “Work hard enough so that when you’re challenged in that test that you know you’ve done the preparation to go out there and be successful. The only way to have the confidence to go out and play fast and play hard and know you’re going to win is to go out and do the work. You have to embrace the grind, the daily things we do every week. We grind harder than anybody and if you work harder than anyone else when you walk out on the field you don’t think about losing, you think about winning because you’ve done too much not to. That was the mentality I grew up in and our kids have the same mentality. They believe they’re going to win and that’s a testament to their hard work and their belief in each other and their love for each other and their coaches. Coach Wood said coaches have to believe in coaches, coaches have to believe players, players have to believe in coaches and players have to believe in players. That’s the four things you have to have to be a championship team and I think we’re getting to that point.”

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2023 BROWNWOOD LIONS VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 25 – at Abilene Wylie, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 1 – Marble Falls, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 8 – Burnet, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 15 – at Glen Rose, 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 – Waco Connally, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 29 – Stephenville, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 – at Big Spring*, 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 – S.A. Lake View*#, 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 – at Lubbock Estacado*, 7 p.m.

Oct. 27 – Andrews*, 7 p.m.