Lions host Etowah in quarterfinal showdown

The Briarwood Christian School football team has blitzed through the first two rounds of the Class 5A state playoffs.

The Lions flattened Crossville, 62-0, to kick off their postseason campaign, then hurdled Lee-Huntsville on Friday, 35-14.

The most recent victory has propelled Briarwood (12-0) to the state quarterfinal for a second consecutive season, as it will host Etowah (11-1) this Friday at Lions Pride Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Etowah, the Region 7 champion, enters the contest riding a three-month wave of momentum. The Blue Devils have clicked off 10 straight victories since suffering their lone defeat to Madison County, 24-8, on Sept. 1. Etowah was slotted four spots behind top-ranked Briarwood in the final Alabama Sports Writers Association poll of the season.

The Blue Devils squeaked past Pleasant Grove in the first round, 15-12, then blew by Brooks last Friday, 42-21. According to the Gadsden Times, Etowah’s defense totaled five interceptions and quarterback Derickey Wright threw for three touchdowns in the victory.

The Blue Devils boast a pair of highly-rated recruits in the middle of their defense in juniors Jamin Graham and Jessie Altman. Graham can play at end or at linebacker, and Altman lines up at defensive tackle.

Etowah advanced to the second round of the playoffs last season, but it fell to Mortimer Jordan. This will be the Blue Devils first state quarterfinal appearance since 1999, when they won the 5A state title.

But Briarwood stands in the way. The Region 5 champions have yet to drop a game and have been playing some of their best football as of late.

The Lions ended the Crossville game by the end of the first quarter, taking a 35-0 lead. They then relied on the legs of JR Tran-Reno to spark the triumph over Lee-Huntsville. Tran-Reno, a junior, rushed for five touchdowns.

Head coach Fred Yancey labeled it a “big-time” performance.

“JR stepped up,” he said. “The guys needed him to be a great player tonight, and he was absolutely.”

Briarwood capitalized on a few special teams miscues to set up Tran-Reno’s scores. Lee-Huntsville had a punt blocked and fumbled a couple of long snaps inside its 10-yard line. Defensive back Carson Donnelly also recorded an interception that he returned to the Generals 19.

“That was about as good a field position as we could possibly hope for,” Yancey said.

Briarwood, meanwhile, protected the football, and it will need to do so again this week against Etowah. The two schools have never met previously on the gridiron.

The winner will face either St. Clair County or Wenonah in the Dec. 1 state semifinal. Briarwood advanced to the semifinal round last year, but it lost to Wenonah, 14-8.

The Lions already have defeated both potential opponents in 2017. They blanked Wenonah, 34-0, and dispatched St. Clair County, 34-6.

- Robert Carter contributed to this report.