McKenna, Lions hold on against Hartselle
BIRMINGHAM — Blake McKenna got hit so hard in Friday night’s game against Hartselle that he felt like he might throw up.
The blow came in the fourth quarter, as he jumped to haul in the 30-yard touchdown pass that Briarwood Christian School quarterback Christopher Vizzina floated toward the middle of the end zone.
Penalty flags flew.
“I just secured it and I took the hit," McKenna said, “just like I do in practice every day.”
McKenna walked off the field after the play with his helmet in hand, then mustered the strength to fist pump toward the Lions’ student section. Somehow, he had managed to hold on. And so had Briarwood.
The Lions scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, on a pair of touchdown passes from Vizzina to McKenna, to clinch a 21-10 victory over Class 6A Hartselle at Lions Pride Stadium.
“He’s a battler. He’s a fighter,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester said of McKenna. “I’m really proud of him.”
The first touchdown reception, a 65-yarder, came early in the final quarter. McKenna faked a block then ran across the middle of the field when he saw the safety bite. Vizzina, a freshman, delivered a rope to his senior teammate, who bolted down the field upon corralling the ball.
“I just saw grass and hit the afterburners,” McKenna said, “and I just took off as fast as I could.”
That score gave Briarwood a 14-10 lead. Two possessions later, the Lions struck again on the pass that left McKenna wanting for breath. He credited his quarterback for stepping up in crunch time.
Vizzina completed 6-of-11 passes for 155 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. McKenna caught half of those completions for 136 yards.
“He’s a freshman, but he plays like he’s a junior,” McKenna said. “He’s a great kid, and he’s got a lot of upside to him.”
Briarwood didn’t falter once it went up by 11 points. The Lions defense recorded a pair of sacks, courtesy of Cole Garner and Christian Ferguson, when Hartselle got the ball back. Briarwood’s Chase Travis then recorded an interception on the visitors’ penultimate possession.
The Lions defense played lights out all night, recovering a fumble, forcing a pair of turnovers on down and limiting Hartselle to fewer than 60 yards rushing.
"The defense did a great job,” Forester said. “We talked about how they like to run the football, and they do a really good job running the football. So we knew we had to come out and we had to stop the run."
Briarwood had no issue moving the ball on the ground. Running backs Luke Prewett and Luke Reebals combined for 174 yards, 123 of which came in the first half. Reebals charged in for a 7-yard score early in the second quarter to give his team a 7-0 lead.
“The two Lukes are pretty special,” Forester said.
Hartselle only trailed 7-3 at half thanks to a 29-yard field goal from Bryan Munoz and then took the lead in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run from Brinten Barclay.
It didn’t last long.
Briarwood found another gear in the final frame and pulled out its third straight victory.
"It's a great kickstart for our region play,” McKenna said. “This is a big win for us."
The Lions (3-2) will host John Carroll in a Class 5A, Region 4 matchup next Friday.
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