Photos by PEG FREDI for BHP

Bruins led undefeated Mt. Juliet in quarterfinal until third quarter

By JEROME BOETTCHER
Brentwood Home Page
MT. JULIET – Brentwood High didn’t have another upset up its sleeve. 

Riding momentum into the Class 6A quarterfinals, the seventh-seeded Bruins didn’t have enough answers for high-scoring and undefeated Mt. Juliet. The top-seeded Golden Bears pulled away after halftime as Brentwood’s season ended with a 34-21 loss on Friday night. 

The Bruins (8-5) were just one win away from reaching their second semifinals in three years after they knocked off Franklin and Independence – teams they lost to in the regular season – in consecutive weeks.

“I think we took our football team as far as we can take it,” BHS coach Ron Crawford said. “From 2-7 as freshmen [in 2008] to the quarterfinals, it is a great story.”

The Golden Bears (13-0) took their first lead early in the third quarter. Mt. Juliet marched 72 yards in seven plays – all runs. The scoring drive was capped off by a 31-yard touchdown run by Caleb Hopkins. He went untouched on a sweep down the sideline, giving the Golden Bears a 21-14 advantage with 8:48 remaining in the third quarter.

Brentwood’s ensuing drive fizzled after a first down, forcing Ryan Ault to punt inside his own 25-yard line. His kick didn’t get very far as Cody Carr blocked it, with Cameron Fryer scooping it up and scampering into the end zone.

“The blocked punt just absolutely changed the momentum totally,” Crawford said. “Gosh, it really, really hurt us at that point. That was a key turning point in the game, without a doubt.”

Hopkins’ second touchdown of the game buried the Bruins, rushing in from five yards out just 16 seconds into the final quarter for a 34-14 lead.

Brentwood’s offense could never get going in the second half. After zero punts in the first half, they punted two times after halftime and turned it over on downs twice. All Jonathan Regan’s 1-yard touchdown run with just 37 seconds remaining did was change the score, not the outcome.

“They have a good defense, they are a good team but the second half, I don’t know, it wasn’t there,” BHS junior quarterback Austin Winfree said. “We couldn’t have a spark.”

The Bruins ignited the fire early, though. Chudi Echetebu began the game with a 34-yard run. Four plays later, on third-and-goal from the 13, Winfree connected with Andy Schumpert for a touchdown.

Mt. Juliet, which averaged 33 points in its first two playoff games, struck right back with an 11-play, 80-yard drive. Jalen Graham’s 6-yard run tied the game with 5:46 left.

Brentwood responded with its own lengthy drive. The Bruins drove 72 yards in 15 plays, their biggest pickup a 17-yard pass from Winfree to Echetebu. The senior running back also ripped off a 10-yard run, putting the Bruins at the 6-yard line.

It appeared Mt. Juliet had stopped Winfree on a third-and-goal at the 2-yard line. But the Golden Bears were flagged for a personal foul, illegal helmet-to-helmet blow, giving the Bruins an automatic first down. Echetebu, who finished with 169 yards on 22 carries, busted through on the next play for a 1-yard touchdown.

“I feel like we made a statement,” Echetebu said of the two early scoring drives. “Every single game this year in the playoffs, we have been predicted to lose. For us to even be in the last eight teams in the playoffs is amazing. I am proud of my team. Nobody expected us to be here.”

The Bruins just couldn’t get Mt. Juliet’s offense off the field. A BHS defender jumped offsides on fourth-and-5, setting up fourth-and-inches. The Golden Bears converted it and another 15 yards was tacked on for a facemask penalty. The 12-play, 81-yard series was capped off with a 1-yard touchdown run by Contrez McCathern midway through the second quarter.

After each team turned the ball over, Brentwood reached the Mt. Juliet 21-yard line before an illegal use of the hands penalty backed up the Bruins. They were yards BHS could have used as Matt England’s 44-yard field goal attempt with just more than 30 seconds left in the half died only a yard short of the crossbar.

“Really, we left points out here we thought,” Crawford said. “We had a penalty that backed it up and just stretched it outside of Matt’s range a little bit. He took a good swing at it. We knew points would be of value against this team.”

After the game, with his team huddled around him, Crawford continually praised his 18 seniors, proclaiming, “Our senior class got us back on track.”

That group could have thrown in the cards after a tough loss at Gallatin, a setback that put them at 3-3. Instead, they led the Bruins on a turnaround, winning five of their next six games to reach the quarterfinals.

“We’ve got a lot of heart. That’s what I like about this team,” Echetebu said. “We might not be the biggest guys or the best athletes but we’ve got heart and we’ve got courage and we’re going to keep battling no matter what.”