Football Heats up in Second Half, Defeats Westwood in Homecoming Game

The first three plays of the night were a microcosm of what was a very sloppy game for both teams. Brookwood received the opening kickoff, but on its second play of the game, Joe Parker threw an interception — the first of four turnovers for the Warriors.

One play later, Westwood gave it right back, fumbling the ball away on a pitch at its own 33-yard line. Both teams combined for six turnovers in the first half, and neither team was able to capitalize early as a result. Penalties also did not help Brookwood’s cause — it totaled six infractions for 60 yards in the first half.

“We just made every mistake known to man,” Brookwood coach Shane Boggs said. “I do not want to take away from (Westwood). I’m always amazed by how well they play and how well they coach. Part of what happened in the first half was they just played harder than us. We’ve got 10 guys doing their job and one guy behaves in a way he’s never behaved before.”

Despite the ugly first half, Brookwood was able break through after a 30-minute lightning delay during halftime. At the beginning of the third quarter, it seemed like Brookwood’s offensive struggles would continue, with Parker throwing his third pick of the night in Westwood’s red zone, ending a huge opportunity.

However, the Warrior defense got the ball back, and with 5:05 left in the third, Parker threw a slant pass to Kurtis Brown, who sprinted down the center of the field to score the game’s first points with a 55-yard touchdown reception. Brookwood missed the extra point, making it 6-0.

The Warriors weren’t done. Less than a minute later, Preston Young snagged an interception and ran it back for a 31-yard score. Colin Grimsley caught a pass from Parker for a two-point conversion on a fake extra point for the 14-0 lead.

Three minutes later, the Warriors drove into the end zone after a bad Westwood punt. Adam Davis finished the short drive with a 3-yard score, capping off a 21-point scoring barrage over just five minutes.

“It’s incredible to me how powerful momentum is,” Boggs said. “It can work both ways on you. One play leads to another and the next thing you know, you’re up 21-0.”

Jonathan Burns tacked on a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats scored their only points with less than a minute left in the game, after Brookwood had pulled its starters.

“We had a lot effort issues and a lot of thinking issues, too,” Boggs said. “We corrected both and we played a really nice half in the second half. I was impressed with how our guys responded because we did challenge them pretty good.”

 
While Brookwood was able to recover three Wildcat fumbles in the game’s first two quarters, it was not able to move the ball down the field to cash in. Parker’s passes were often on point early in the game, but the Warriors were not able to make the catches, completing only one of their first nine pass attempts.

In the second quarter, Brookwood found itself in fantastic field position after taking the ball at Westwood’s 35-yard line. The Warriors began to make some plays and moved to the Wildcats’ 10 yard line, but the promising drive was stopped by an interception in the end zone.

Westwood made a few big plays with under a minute left until halftime, with two long plays leading their first real threat of the game. Brookwood’s Hill Turner made sure the game stayed scoreless going into the locker room with an interception — Westwood’s fourth turnover of the night.

Parker completed 11 of 25 passes for 186 yards. Davis led the Warriors in rushing with 53 yards, while Nick Knifer was their leading receiver with five catches for 61 yards.

Brookwood will begin region play next week, hosting Valwood on Friday night.

For in-game updates and continuous coverage of Brookwood Athletics, follow @BwoodWarriors on Twitter.