by A.C. Hall
The Brewer Bears made the long trip to Wichita Falls last week to open up district play against the Coyotes. While the Bears have leaned towards the run so far this season, they fully embraced it on Friday night as running back Jameson Carson put together an impressive night to help lead the Bears to a 28 – 24 victory.
After the teams traded field goals in the first quarter, Carson picked up speed as the Brewer running attack began asserting its dominance over the Coyote defense. A 48-yard rush set up Carson’s first rushing touchdown of the night and gave Brewer a 10 – 3 lead going into the second quarter.
The Brewer defense did their part throughout the night, containing the Coyotes top rusher and forcing several punts. Some timely fumbles by the Coyotes also helped things, as a fumbled snap in the second quarter ended up becoming a safety. This extended the Brewer lead to 12 – 3. Brewer capitalized on the situation, taking the next possession down the field for another touchdown to go up 19 – 3.
It appeared like this would be the score at halftime, but with the final seconds ticking off the clock, the Coyotes were able to complete a 72 yard pass for a touchdown to make it 19 – 10 at the half.
The game slowed a bit in the second half until the Coyotes put together another long touchdown pass halfway through the third quarter. This time it was a 52 yard touchdown pass as the Brewer defenders were unable to bring down the receiver. That pulled the Coyotes within two and made it 19 – 17.
Brewer would respond early in the fourth quarter, this time getting a great contribution from running back Tre Johnson. After breaking into the open field, Johnson turned on the afterburners and torched his pursuers, taking the ball 45 yards for a touchdown. This put Brewer up 26 – 17.
With time growing short in the game, the Coyotes were able to score again as they continued to find success through their passing game. This made it Brewer 26, Wichita Falls 24 with just minutes remaining in the game.
The Coyotes had one more chance to take the lead but were met with disaster when they had two consecutive fumbled snaps put an end to their night. The first lost them a ton of yards, with the second going through the endzone for their second safety of the night. That made the final score Brewer 28, Wichita Falls 24.
Jameson Carson finished the night with 273 yards on 36 rushes. Carson continues to show that he’s the real deal and combined with some excellent work by the Brewer offensive line he looks to be a weapon upcoming opponents will need to worry about.
This victory is a big one for the Bears and new Head Coach Wade Griffin. The Bears didn’t win any district games last season so they’ve already improved in that all important area. Opening up district play with a win shows that this is a serious team that should certainly be able to contend for a playoff spot if they continue to put forth performances like this.
Brewer is back in action at Brewer High School Friday night as they take on Chisholm Trail. Kickoff is at 7:00 and this will be Brewer’s homecoming.
The Detail Newspaper 