GLEN ROSE – “Winners find a way to win.”
Those were the words of Brownwood sixth-year head coach Sammy Burnett following the No. 8 Lions’ 46-34 triumph Friday night over the Glen Rose Tigers – their fourth in a row to start the 2023 campaign – but nothing about the victory came easy.
“We faced a lot of adversity whether it was caused by us or them, but we overcame it and that’s the bottom line,” Burnett said. “Wins are not easy and our kids came through with a great win. They never stopped fighting. It was ugly and I don’t care. We’ll go to work tomorrow morning and starting work on what needs to be fixed, but a win is a win and I can’t be more proud of the guys than I am right now.”
Plagued a season-high three turnovers – after committing just two in the first three games – that led directly to the first 20 Glen Rose (1-3) points, the Lions (4-0) also didn’t fully capitalize on superb field position early in the game, which allowed the Tigers to hang around and build confidence.
With a lead no greater than two touchdowns at any juncture in the contest, the Lions were clinging to a 39-34 advantage midway though the fourth quarter, as Glen Rose methodically marched its way toward a potential go-ahead touchdown
Having never trailed at any point in the contest, Brownwood witnessed Glen Rose gradually advance from its own 29 yard line to the Lion 9, chewing 5:54 off the clock during the 14-play journey. The Tigers did what they pleased for the most part during the possession, but facing a third-and-3 and then a fourth-and-3, the Lions stuffed Glen Rose’s ground game and got the ball back with 3:08 left in the contest.
“It’s that bend-but-don’t-break mentality and we never feel like we’re in a poor situation where we can’t stop somebody and we can’t get off the field,” Burnett said. “They proved it once again, they prove it time in and time out. If there’s anybody losing the faith it’s probably me because I get a little frustrated, but they just keep doing what they’re doing and find a way to get us off the field.”
After the stand, Brownwood took over possession at its own 9 and lost 6 yards on its first two snaps. Facing third-and-16 from their own 3 with the prospect of punting the ball back to Glen Rose with just over two minutes left, the Lions rolled the dice as quarterback Ike Hall – whose availability for the game was determined just before kickoff after suffering a shoulder stinger last week – heaved a jump ball toward Morsello Hooker down the left sideline.
Glen Rose defender Jack Debner got both hands on the ball, but it bounded off his fingertips and floated toward Hooker, who juggled the pigskin at first before hauling in the catch and racing down the sideline to complete the game-clinching 97-yard touchdown pass that staked the Lions to a 46-34 lead with 2:07 remaining.
“We threw a 50-50 ball to Morsello Hooker who we know can go up and make plays, and he tipped it up in the air and caught it and I think the good Lord pushed it his way a little bit, I really do,” Burnett said. “What a blessing that was and a big play by him. Great job of Ike trusting him and throwing it up. We get the fourth down stop and turn around and make a big play. You have to keep fighting the good fight and our kids did and never stopped believing.”
Behind the front of Quinten McCarty, Cole Miller, Davis Le, Aidan Packheiser and Logan Knight, the Lions finished with 555 yards of total offense – 286 through the air and 269 on the ground led by Hall, who completed 14 of 31 passes for all of Brownwood’s passing yards with a pair of scoring tosses and one interception. In the fourth quarter, however, Hall was 4 of 5 through the air for 175 yards and both his touchdowns to Hooker, who also pulled down a 31-yard score to push Brownwood ahead 39-27 just 57 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Hall also rushed for 178 yards on the ground and a score, Jaylan Brown chipped in 89 yards and scored once, and Noah Gonzalez tacked on an 8-yard touchdown on his only carry.
Defensively, the Lions surrendered 370 yards – 293 through the air and 77 on the ground – but intercepted a pair of passes as Jake Jetton’s pick led to the first scoring drive of the game and Hayden Noe’s closed out the contest. Brownwood also logged four sacks – three by McCarty and one from Sam Kallman – and six tackles for loss.
“They had a reverse that hurt us (35-yard run to set up a touchdown on the next play) and a double pass (27-yard touchdown) hurt us and that’s on us,” Burnett said. “That was a lack of discipline, but other than that they didn’t really blister us. They did what we thought they would do, throw the ball to the slot and get 5 or 6 yards and we were willing to give them that. We made adjustments to stop that at the half and did a decent job of that, but we had opportunities to get off the field and got undisciplined on some trick plays and they got us on them.”
While the late heroics were provided by long touchdown passes and goal line stands, early on special teams shouldered the load for the Lions – particularly Junior Martinez who booted field goals of 32, 47 and a school-record 52 yards in the first half, along with dropping two of his three punts inside the Glen Rose 20 to pin the Tigers deep in their end of the field.
“I wouldn’t have sent him out to try those kicks if I didn’t think he was going to make them,” Burnett said. “Look at how many touchbacks he has, the points he makes on field goals and extra points and the distance he gets on his punts and how many times he pins people inside the 20. He’s a phenomenal part of our team and he’s overlooked greatly. If we don’t have Junior, we don’t win a lot of the games we win and that’s a fact.”
The Lions’ first possession began at its own 42 after Jetton – who also led Brownwood with 15 tackles – picked off Glen Rose quarterback Canyon Evans, who competed 22 of 31 attempts for 266 yards with three scores with two picks.
After two first downs, the Brownwood drive stalled at the Glen Rose 15 and Martinez came on to convert the first of his three field goals, a 32-yarder that made the score 3-0 at the 6:30 mark of the opening stanza.
Later in the first period, with Glen Rose facing a fourth-and-4 from its 18 after Martinez pinned the Tigers at the 12, a snap sailed over the Glen Rose punter’s head and out of the back of the end zone, boosting the Lions lead to 5-0 with 1:52 to go in the first period.
Following the free kick from Glen Rose, Brownwood again started in stellar field position at its own 45, but advanced only to the Tiger 35 where Martinez hammered his 52-yard field goal with 27 seconds left in the first half, staking Brownwood to an 8-0 lead and tying Matt McCrane’s record for longest field goal in school history.
“This night meant a lot to me, especially after missing that first kick against Marble Falls,” Martinez said, referring to his first field goal attempt of the season. “Tonight we had perfect snaps, perfect holds, they make it easy.”
The Lions appeared to fully seize the momentum when Hall reeled off 71-yard scoring sprint at the 8:56 mark of the second period, pushing the lead to 15-0, but the quirkiness of the game soon followed.
First a muffed punt set Glen Rose up at the Brownwood 38, and three plays later Evans connected with Kaleb Baker on a 10-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 15-7 at the 5:59 juncture. A 35-yard run on a reverse by Josiah Groeneweg moved the Tigers into the red zone.
Then, on Brownwood’s next possession, Brown was stripped of the ball after it appeared his forward progress had stopped, but the play was allowed to continue and Gage Edgar scored on the 41-yard fumble recovery that brought the Tigers within 15-14 with 4:35 left before halftime.
The Lions stopped the bleeding with a seven-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that was sparked by a 39-yard carry from Brown – his long of the night. Gonzalez scored on the next play as Brownwood boosted its edge to 22-14 with 2:49 left before halftime.
Then, after Glen Rose was stopped on a fourth-and-11 at the Brownwood 49, the Lions were able to move into position for Martinez to nail a 47-yard field goal into the wind on the final play of the first half, increasing the Lions’ cushion to two scores at 25-14.
Brownwood opened the second half with the ball and instead of building on its momentum, Glen Rose stole it right back. An interception on the fourth play of the third period set the Tigers up at the Brownwood 25, and two plays later Evans connected with Camden Raymond on a 20-yard scoring toss, trimming the deficit to 25-20 just 1:47 into the second half.
The two teams traded touchdowns the rest of the contest as Brownwood increased its lead to 32-20 on a 21-yard touchdown gallop by Brown, which followed a 38-yard scamper by Hall, with 3:10 left in the third period.
With 48 seconds left in the third, Glen Rose fired back with 34-yard scoring toss from Evans to Adrian Sanchez – the first Tiger points that were not a product of a Brownwood turnover – to creep within 32-27.
Again Brownwood answered as Hall connected with Edmonds on a 32-yard gain a play before finding Hooker in the end zone for a 31-yard scoring strike, capping a five-play, 80-yard trek that gave the Lions a 39-27 lead.
“We found out tonight we can handle a little bit of adversity and go through that,” Hall said. “We got challenged tonight and came out with the win and it felt good.”
The Tigers returned the ensuing kick to the Brownwood 27, and on the next play Evans passed to Colton Andress behind the line of scrimmage, who then hurled the ball to Braylon Reid in the end zone to bring Glen Rose within 39-34 with 11:10 remaining.
Brownwood’s next drive stalled at its own 28 with 9:02 left, where Martinez punted the ball to the Glen Rose 29 as the Lions clung to their lead.
But the goal line stand and deep ball from Hall to Hooker half a quarter later kept the Lions undefeated ahead of next week’s 7:30 p.m. showdown at Gordon Wood Stadium with Class 4A Division II No. 7 Waco Connally (3-1), which suffered its first loss of the season to reigning two-time 4A Division I state champion and third-ranked China Spring, 61-41, Friday night.
“We needed a momentum change in the game and I was proud of myself for being able to do that for us,” Hooker said of the 97-yard clinching score.
***
Lions 46, Glen Rose 34
SCORE BY QUARTERS
| Brownwood | 8 | 17 | 7 | 14 | – 46 |
| Glen Rose | 0 | 14 | 13 | 7 | – 34 |
***
SCORING SUMMARY
B: Junior Martinez 32 FG, 6:30, 1st
B: Safety (snap over punter’s head, out of end zone), 1:52, 1st
B: Martinez 52 FG, 0:27, 1st
B: Ike Hall 71 run (Martinez kick), 8:56, 2nd
G: Kaleb Baker 10 pass from Canyon Evans (Jorge Mendoza kick), 5:59, 2nd
G: Gage Edgar 41 fumble return (Mendoza kick), 4:35, 2nd
B: Noah Gonzalez 8 run (Martinez kick), 1:49, 2nd
B: Martinez 47 FG, 0:00, 2nd
G: Camden Raymond 20 pass from Evans (pass failed), 10:13, 3rd
B: Jaylan Brown 21 run (Martinez kick), 3:10, 3rd
G: Adrian Sanchez 34 pass from Evans (Mendoza kick), 0:47, 3rd
B: Morsello Hooker 31 pass from Hall (Martinez kick), 11:33, 4th
G: Braylon Reid 27 pass from Colton Andress (Mendoza kick), 11:10, 4th
B: Hooker 97 pass from Hall (Martinez kick), 2:07, 4th
***
| TEAM STATS | B | G |
| First Downs | 22 | 23 |
| Total Offense | 555 | 370 |
| Rushes-Yards | 31-269 | 35-77 |
| Passing Yards | 286 | 293 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 14-31-1 | 23-32-2 |
| Penalties-Yards | 4-35 | 4-30 |
| Fumbles Lost | 2 | 0 |
| Punts-Average | 3-39.0 | 2-31.5 |
***
PLAYER STATS
RUSHING: B – Ike Hall 13-178, TD; Jaylan Brown 15-89, TD; Noah Gonzalez 1-8, TD; Aaron Edmonds 1-(-2); Team 1-(-4). G – Josiah Groeneweg 2-32; Braylon Reid 15-29; Camden Raymond 3-14; Canyon Evans 15-(-7).
PASSING: B – Hall 14-31-1-286, 2 TDs. G – Evans 22-31-2-266, 3 TDs; Colten Andress 1-1-0-27, TD.
RECEIVING: B – Carson Noe 6-73; Edmonds 4-59; Morsello Hooker 2-128, 2 TDs; Weston Wolf 2-26. G – Raymond 7-80, Adrian Sanchez 5-84; Kaleb Baker 5-48; Reid 2-37, TD; Groeneweg 2-32; Gabryel Diaz 2-12.
KICKING: B – Junior Martinez 5 of 5 PATs. 3 of 3 FG attempts, 32, 47 and 52 yards. 3 punts, 117 yards, 39.0 average, 2 inside the 20, 1 inside the 10
