Lions put unbeaten record on line at Woodlawn

The Briarwood Christian School football team is rolling right now.

It has met each challenge with fervor, and passed each test with flying colors.

The Lions are currently 6-0 overall and 4-0 in Class 5A, Region 5 play. They have a chance to add to both of those totals on Friday night, as they head to Lawson Field to take on a winless Woodlawn team.

Woodlawn is still attempting to establish itself under first-year head coach George Bates, a proven winner in previous stops at Parker and Minor.

Briarwood and Woodlawn met on the gridiron for the first time last fall, as the Lions ran away with a 38-6 victory.

The Lions notched a win last week over St. Clair County in similar fashion, winning 31-6 to cap off a successful homecoming week. Running back JR Tran-Reno was the story, as he totaled four touchdowns in a big performance.

Tran-Reno jump-started the Lions in the second quarter when he turned a routine wide receiver screen into a 63-yard touchdown. Quarterback Michael Hiers hit Tran-Reno along the right sideline near the line of scrimmage, where he made a man miss. He then won a sprint to the end zone to give Briarwood a 7-0 lead.

Hiers connected for another big gain a few minutes later. Toward the end of the second quarter, he hit Carson Eddy on a 50-yard post route that set up first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Tran-Reno lined up under center and dived into the end zone on the ensuing play to make it 14-0.

Tran-Reno extended his Lions’ lead with another 1-yard dive at 1:23 in the third quarter. His final touchdown of the night came on a 70-yard rush in the final frame. He finished the game with 87 yards rushing on seven carries and also totaled 87 yards on four receptions.

“I think we really played well as a team," Tran-Reno said. "Our will to win really persevered us through the game. We started off slow, but we’re always confident in our ability to win. We never let up.”

Hiers went 23-of-31 for 295 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Eddy hauled in 12 catches for 143 yards.

- Sam Chandler contributed to this report.