Lions secure 24th straight playoff berth with win
The Briarwood Christian School football team likely already had it locked up, but the Lions left no doubt that they would reach the state playoffs for the 24th consecutive season in a 38-6 victory over visiting Woodlawn on Friday night at Lions Pride Stadium.
All 24 of those playoff seasons have come under head coach Fred Yancey, as the Lions last missed out on the postseason in 1992.
“We like that thought,” Yancey said of his team securing a postseason berth. “It’s been a bunch of years in a row that we’ve been able to do it, and kids take a lot of pride in that tradition. We find a way to get in the playoffs every year. It’s for hard work and a lot of effort on their part.”
Briarwood (6-1, 5-0 in Class 5A, Region 5) notched its fifth region win of the season and sixth in a row overall, but the Lions were a little groggy early on in the game, the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Quarterback William Gray mishandled the first two snaps of the game and Woodlawn (2-5, 2-3) marched 87 yards on nine plays – all runs – to take a 6-0 lead.
Gray found Caleb Daniels open in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown to give the Lions a lead late in the first quarter. Gray snuck into the end zone from 2 yards out on the Lions’ next possession, as Briarwood went into halftime with a 14-6 advantage.
“We were kind of sleepwalking in the first half a little bit,” Yancey said. “That happens in football. Over the course of the season, you’ll have a game or two where you have to kind of shake yourself up.”
They shook themselves up right out of the gates in the third quarter. Briarwood forced Woodlawn to punt on the opening drive of the second half, and the Lions went after it. A few players broke through the protection and Gabe Russell blocked the punt. After Briarwood kicked the ball roughly 30 yards, Carson Donnelly scooped it up and fell into the end zone.
The play gave the Lions a 21-6 lead and effectively changed the game for good.
Yancey said, “That blocked punt shook everything out of us and gave us a chance to really do much better in the second half.
“You really need those kind of things to happen during a ballgame. That takes a lot of the struggle out of it, to get you a good, earned defensive touchdown.”
Woodlawn’s ensuing possession stalled after 10 plays, leaving the Briarwood offense on the sideline for nearly the first eight minutes of the third quarter. But once the unit hit the field, it took just three plays for Gray to hit Luke Miskelley on a screen pass. Miskelley took it the distance for a 43-yard touchdown.
“They were really antsy to get out there, because they were really hoping to do much better in the second half,” Yancey said.
The offensive numbers were not overly impressive for either side, but Yancey credited both teams. He lauded Woodlawn for “coming out and playing us right” and his own squad “for sticking with it when we weren’t doing so hot.”
Gray was just 4-of-6 passing on the night for 92 yards, but two of those completions concluded in the end zone. J.R. Tran-Reno led the Lions with 94 yards on 13 carries. Carson Eddy added a late touchdown and finished with 24 yards on 7 attempts.
Woodlawn had a decent amount of success running the football, as Jeremiah Evans picked up 131 yards on 15 carries. Robert Patrick rushed 13 times for 52 yards. Quarterback Laquarrius Wilson did not have a productive night throwing the ball, but scored the team’s touchdown on a 4-yard scramble.
Both teams stay in Region 5 play next week. Briarwood travels to Shelby County, while Woodlawn returns home to play Pleasant Grove at Lawson Field.