Thanks to a huge game from the offense, gathering 476
total offensive yards, the Arcs were able to get their first victory of the
year and start conference play undefeated, beating the Madison Blue Streaks
37-12.
Brush improves to 1-3, and 1-0 in the conference, while the Blue Streaks drop to 1-3, and 0-1 in the conference.
On how the offense played, Coach Fink said “They played with great composure… kept ourselves out of some bad situations and that allowed us to move the football.” Most of the team yardage came from Christian Wright, as he ran 17 times for 214 yards and two touchdowns. On his big game and how it contributed to the win, Wright said “It feels good to finally bounce back from all the adversity… it just feels good to get our first win this season.”
Godwin Joe also had a good game running, rushing 13 times for 91 yards. He also had a solid game passing, going 8-14 for 171 yards and three touchdowns. On his contributions to the victory and the game as a whole, Joe said “That game felt great…I know I wasn’t going to let my team down and I know Coach Fink has a lot of confidence to lead this team to the playoffs this year.” In terms of receiving, Jordan Shahid led the team with four receptions, 88 yards and two touchdowns.
Brush started their first drive of the game poised to score after big passes by Joe to Shahid and Aaron Murphy. However, Shahid fumbled a catch before the Arcs could get any points. This led to a long Blue Streaks drive that was capped off by a Pridemore rushing touchdown at the beginning of the second quarter. However, Brush was able to keep it 6-0 when Tyrone Chambers blocked the extra point.
Despite the fumble, the Arcs’ offense was ready to pick where they left off, getting two big runs from Godwin Joe. Brush was able to score this time around, ending the drive with a two yard Christian Wright touchdown. However, they weren’t able to get the two-point conversion, so the score stayed 6-6. Madison was ready to respond, but was stopped in their tracks by a Quinten Woodall interception. This led to Brush scoring again and taking the lead, this time via a 41 yard catch by Jordan Shahid.
Brush would once again stop the Blue Streaks from scoring, and put the ball back in the offense’s hands. Joe would once again strike quick, this time with a 55 yard touchdown pass to Tommy Loya, making the scoring 20-6 Brush. Madison seemed ready to cut into the lead towards the end of the half, but got stopped short by a Quentin Woodall interception in the end zone, his second of the game. On his contribution to the victory and the team’s overall play, Woodall said “We executed all four quarters… I’m just happy we got the win, people doubted us and we just showed them what we can do.”
The Brush defense came back in the half ready to pick up where they left off, as James Kalan forced a fumble on the Blue Streaks’ opening possession. On his defense’s play, Coach Fink said “I couldn’t be happier with our defense, it was a total all around effort.” Brush would add on to their lead with another touchdown catch for Jordan Shahid, this one 22 yards. Madison would cut into the lead thanks a Gibson touchdown run following a huge fake punt pass, making it 27-12 Brush going into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, Brush would put the game out of reach following a 24 yard Bradley Heiss field goal and a 58-yard Christian Wright touchdown, making the final score 37-12, in favor of the Arcs.
Brush’s next game is back home against the Willoughby South Rebels. On what the Arcs are facing next week in the Rebels, Coach Fink said “Their kids play hard, they’ve got a dynamic wide receiver, and the quarterback is solid, so we’re going to have to play a great football game.” Hopefully the Arcs will be able to continue this momentum and pick up a victory in front of the home crowd.