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Photo by: Michael Jackson
Briarwood coaches get in the celebration during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team warming up before a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood OL Austin Johnson (67) warming up before a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood cheerleaders before a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team huddles up during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) is tackled during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood QB Charles Dedmon (2) looks for an open receiver during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood coach watches a play develop during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team celebrates pass caught by Briarwood WR Tram Walker (12) during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) reaches for extra yardage during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood QB Jamison Barnes (3) throws a pass to an open receiver during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team lineup on the ball during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood DB Sam Canale (26) attempts to catch a pass during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) cuts and changes direction sending Leeds DB Eddie Brown (26) off balance during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) look on while the defense is on the field during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood band performs during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood WR Dane Whitehead (11) and Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) celebrate a touchdown during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood fans during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood QB Jamison Barnes (3) runs with the ball during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood OL Hank Freeman (74) celebrates a win after a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester talking to his team after a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood OL Hank Freeman (74) congratulated after a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team line up on the scrimmage line during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) breaking a tackle during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood dancers perform during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood QB Charles Dedmon (2) pushed out of bounds during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood DB Rocco Valentini (29) dives for the tackle during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team and Leeds team square up on the scrimmage line during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood WR John Campbell (13) avoids a tackle during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood WR Reeves Rohloff (1) attempting to avoid a tackle during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood coach Bob Blake celebrated for 300th game before a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team celebrating coach Bob Blake's 300th game before a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team warming up before a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood OL Adrian Derico (76) and Briarwood OL John Burke Henderson (72) celebrate during a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team captains at the coin toss before a game between Briarwood and Leeds on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Lions Pride Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
The Briarwood Christian School football team sure picked a good time to play its best game of the season.
The Lions took care of Leeds 28-3 on Friday night in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs, knocking off a Green Wave team they lost to earlier in the season.
“I think so,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester said after the game, when asked if that was his team’s best game to date. “It was a dominant performance on both sides of the ball.”
It was certainly that. The offense got things started, as Charles Dedmon hit Sam Canale on a pair of long touchdown passes in the first half, as the Lions went up 14-0 in the second quarter. The first one went for 47 yards and the second one went for 41 yards.
“Sam’s excellent, he’s a competitor,” Dedmon said of Canale, who finished with five catches for 114 yards. “He’s an extremely hard worker.”
Leeds kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half, but that was all the Green Wave mustered the entire evening.
Briarwood’s offense emerged from the halftime break with malice in mind. The Lions took to the ground and wore down the Leeds defense. Eli Thompson scored on a 4-yard run to make it 21-3. Thompson was the leading rusher on the night, carrying the ball 20 times for 112 yards.
Jackson Reyer had several bruising runs on that drive as well, and he finished with 63 yards on seven carries.
The Briarwood defense kept up its end of the bargain as well. Brooks Allred intercepted a pass on the first play of the game, setting the tone. The Lions have been forced to adjust over the second half of the season to losing star lineman Garrett Witherington to injury. It seems to be coming together, as the Lions held Leeds to fewer than 200 total yards.
“You have an identity crisis [when Witherington goes down],” Forester said. “We had to go through it. What I’m proud of the guys for is they’ve dug in and we’re radically different than we were.”
Dedmon has continued his ascension as Briarwood’s signal caller this fall, and on Friday night completed 12-of-18 passes for 198 yards and three scores.
“What Dedmon’s done this season has really been remarkable,” Forester said. “He’s dug in and done an amazing job of understanding and making the big throws.”
Dedmon hit Tram Walker on another long touchdown, this one for 54 yards in the third quarter for the Lions’ final score. Walker had three grabs totaling 78 yards.
“We knew we hadn’t played our best football yet, so we’ve been building up to this point,” Dedmon said.
With the win, Briarwood improved to 6-5 overall and will host Russellville next Friday in the second round of the playoffs. Russellville knocked off Boaz 29-28 in overtime. Boaz tied the game on the final play of regulation, but Russellville went for the game-winning two-point conversion after its score in overtime and converted to win.
“That’s amazing, that’s what you want,” Forester said of having another week to coach his team. “Coming out of halftime, this is one of the many reasons I do my job, is because of that tension, you don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re going to fight ‘til the end.”
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