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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood running back Luke Reynolds (8) continues to run after a face mask penalty in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood running back Eli Thompson (19) in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood quarterback Brayden Robertson (5) in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood quarterback Charles Dedmon (2) in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood running back Eli Thompson (19) in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood band performs at a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood DE Will Clark (3) celebrates senior night in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood celebrates senior night at a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood cheerleaders at a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood players celebrate the win in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood celebrates senior night at a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood running back Luke Reynolds (8) continues to run after a face mask penalty in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood defensive back Patrick Wilson (28) breaks up a pass in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood running back Luke Reynolds (8), Briarwood DE Will Clark (3) and Briarwood quarterback Brayden Robertson (5) are team captains in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
McAdory quarterback Michael Barnes (18) scores a touchdown in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood celebrates senior night at a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
McAdory quarterback Michael Barnes (18) in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood cheerleaders at a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles
Briarwood band performs in a game against Briarwood and McAdory at Lion Stadium on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
SHELBY COUNTY – A powerful football team winning its final game of the season is normally reserved for state champions.
But that situation was produced at Lions Pride Stadium on Friday night, as the Briarwood Christian School football team made a statement against a strong Class 6A team. The Lions capped off the season with a 55-35 win over a McAdory team that will host a first-round playoff game next week.
Briarwood finished off an unthinkable turnaround, finishing the year with a 5-5 record after losing its first five games of the year. The Lions didn’t qualify for the playoffs, but they were undoubtedly playing as well as any of the top 5A teams by the end of the year.
“It was a week of mixed emotions, because you know you’ve got a really good football team, you’ve got a football team that should keep playing,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester said following the game. “We really focused on being the best we can be each week, it didn’t matter what the circumstances were around us.”
Briarwood was eliminated from playoff contention two weeks ago, but continued to play inspired football with convincing wins in its last two games.
“It’s an understatement of how hard this game is when you’re not going to make the playoffs,” Forester said. “For them to show up tonight and play, that’s what you expect from this group, because they’re special. They’re a group that really matters to each other, they care and it’s fun.”
Briarwood is a program accustomed to being in the playoffs, as the Lions miss the postseason for the second time in the last three years. But what the Lions accomplished this fall over the season’s final five weeks could easily stack up among many of the program’s most memorable ones.
The game turned into a track meet after the teams exchanged punts and turnovers in the opening quarter. McAdory got on the board first, as Antario Washington returned a blocked field goal 75 yards for a touchdown.
The Lions exploded with a 28-point second quarter. Briarwood forced turnovers on three consecutive McAdory plays, including a Will Clark 15-yard interception return that tied the game at 7-7. Garrett Witherington and Grant Skinner recovered fumbles in that span as well.
Luke Reynolds gave Briarwood a 14-7 lead after Skinner’s recovery, setting in motion a memorable finale for the senior running back.
Reynolds had a huge night, rushing for 205 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries. Once Reynolds got healthy halfway through the year, the Lions became a force.
“Luke’s a special one,” Forester said. “If he’s going to tackle you, he’s going to tackle you as hard as he can. If he’s going to run the ball, he’s going to run the ball as hard as he can. He’s a heck of a football player and whoever gets him at signing day will be a lucky team.”
Briarwood outgained McAdory 402-385 in the game. Backup quarterback Michael Barnes scored two rushing touchdowns, while Derrion Davis had 10 carries for 75 yards and a score. Trenton Charles scored on a 6-yard run as well. Carter Feagin had eight catches for 103 yards.
The most impressive run was the final one of Reynolds’ career, a 7-yard touchdown run. He ran toward the left sideline and was hit hard multiple times, but shook off several tackle attempts and bounced into the end zone.
“I don’t really know,” Reynolds said of the play. “I had to check and see if I was still in bounds because I got popped in the face on the play. I just spun out of it and ran into the end zone. The guys were still blocking.”
Eli Thompson scored on a 12-yard run and Dane Whitehead caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Charles Dedmon in that big second quarter as well, as Briarwood took a 28-14 lead into the halftime break.
Reynolds scored the Lions’ final four touchdowns of the game in the second half.
“We did what we had to do, but everything is in God’s plan,” Reynolds said. “It doesn’t always work out, but we played hard ‘til the end.
“That’s what Briarwood does.”
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