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Photo by: Michael Jackson
Briarwood QB Jamison Barnes (3) pushing through to a touchdown during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood player warming up before a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood cheerleaders before a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood cheerleaders before a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood DB Camden Schroeter (6) tackling the runner during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) running with the ball during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood QB Charles Dedmon (2) and Briarwood LB Gage Nasworthy (16) tackle Ramsay RB Jayden Martin (2) during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood LB Gage Nasworthy (16) tackling Ramsay RB Jayden Martin (2) during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay WR Marcus Thomas (8) avoiding the tackle during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood DL Tucker McGough (3) and Briarwood LB Grayson Pewitt (35) closing the gap during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay ATH Champion Rogers (11) telling a receiver to run long during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay RB Jayden Martin (2) stopped short of a first down during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood DB Cooper Johnson (8) tackling Ramsay DB Ethan Johnson (6) during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay ATH Champion Rogers (11) throwing to an open receiver during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood OL Adrian Derico (76) recovering the fumble during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay ATH Champion Rogers (11) avoiding the sack during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) runs the football during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood QB Charles Dedmon (2) attempting a pass during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) running the ball during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood RB Jackson Reyer (8) running for a first down during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay ATH Champion Rogers (11) avoiding Briarwood WR Will Butler (9) during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team on the sideline during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood LB Brooks Allred (1) tackles Ramsay RB Jayden Martin (2) during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood LB Gage Nasworthy (16) waiting to get back on the field during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood DB Brandt Aho (7) attempting to block the extra point during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood DB Brandt Aho (7) tackling Ramsay WR Marcus Thomas (8) during a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay cheerleaders before a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Briarwood team taking the field to warm up before a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay ATH Champion Rogers (11) warming up before a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
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Ramsay players warming up before a game between Briarwood and Ramsay on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Legion Park. Photo by: Michael Jackson
BIRMINGHAM – Briarwood hopes it found its spark a bit earlier this time around.
It took the Lions too long to break loose last fall, missing out on the playoffs despite finishing on a five-game winning streak.
This year, an 0-2 start led to a pivotal Class 5A, Region 5 game on Thursday night at Historic Legion Field.
Briarwood turned a frustrating first half into a cathartic second half, edging Ramsay 14-13 in the region opener for both teams.
“We knew it was going to be close,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester said following the game. “We knew it was going to be tight. We preached all week, it's got to be a fourth quarter game, it's not just one half. You can't let how you start dictate how we finish.”
The Lions took their coach’s advice. Ramsay (0-3, 0-1 in region) took a 7-0 lead into halftime, as Briarwood’s offense scuffled to the tune of just 29 total yards. But Briarwood more than doubled that output on its second possession of the second half, plowing 64 yards in 10 plays to tie the game on quarterback Jamison Barnes’ 8-yard run.
It was a more emotional touchdown than most for Briarwood, as it marked the first touchdown of the season after two and a half games.
“Early on, when you play such good defenses (Oak Mountain, Homewood and Ramsay), it's hard to find your rhythm of who you are,” Forester said. “That’s what we kind of started tonight, get our identity, and then we'll carry that out the next couple of weeks.”
However, Ramsay responded, scoring on a 45-yard run by Jayden Martin, one that looked very similar to Michael Dyer’s run in Auburn’s national championship win over Oregon in 2010. He was slung around, but managed to stay on his feet and scampered to the end zone past a defense that believed the play to be over. Martin was the star for the Rams, carrying it 28 times for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
But early in the fourth quarter, Briarwood caught its biggest break of the night, as a bad snap on a punt attempt gave the Lions the ball at the 5-yard line. It took Barnes all of one play to find the end zone again, and the extra point gave Briarwood a 14-13 lead it would hang onto for the final 11 minutes.
“The defense played their guts out all night,” Barnes said. “We finally got a good turn. That was awesome. It was a huge point in the game.”
When Forester mentioned the team’s evolving identity, it’s clear that will involve Barnes, the sophomore quarterback who did plenty of damage on the ground. He was the Lions’ leading rusher in the game, going for 79 yards on 16 carries. The other half of the QB tandem, junior Charles Dedmon, was 6-of-12 for 65 yards through the air.
Garrett Witherington, the senior defensive lineman and Kentucky commit, lived in the Ramsay backfield much of the night. He finished with at least four tackles for loss, batted down a pass, and had several other game-altering moments. Camden Schroeter intercepted a pass in the first half for the Lions as well.
Eli Thompson had 60 total yards, with Sam Canale catching four passes for 39 yards for the Lions. Deuce Alexander led the Rams’ receivers, catching six balls for 99 yards. Mitchell Orr had five catches for 40 yards. Champion Rogers played well at quarterback, completing 12-of-22 passes for 116 yards before going out of the game in the second half.
A jovial Briarwood sideline told the story of how much a win meant for a team that had little to hang its hat on in the first few weeks of the season.
Both teams remain in region play next week, with Briarwood hosting Carver-Birmingham and Ramsay playing Corner at home as well.
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