WACO – The Brownwood Lions first dug themselves out of a 14-point first-half hole. Then, after falling behind again with 4:08 remaining, the Lions surged back into the lead in the closing minutes.
But the final 86 seconds didn’t tick off the clock fast enough, as the reigning Class 4A Division I Region I champion Decatur Eagles marched 87 yards in 10 plays, scoring the decisive touchdown on a 1-yard pass with 4 seconds left to end the Lions’ season, 38-35.
“It’s tough but what do you do,” Lions sixth-year head coach Sammy Burnett said with a tear streaming down his cheek. “Tomorrow the sun is going to come up. Our kids may not have won that ball game and they’ll get over that in time, but what they’ll always remember is what Quinten (McCarty) said to them after the game, ‘we build relationships and memories we’ll keep for a lifetime’ and that’s the Brownwood way. I’m so proud of them. Life is character and morals and ethics and values and that’s what we use football to do, and that’s what our kids showed tonight. They fought to the bitter end, it just didn’t happen. They’re winners, they just didn’t win tonight. Two times this year they fell short. I thank God that I had a chance to be with this group of guys.”
The Class 4A Division I Region I championship game featured countless ebbs and flows, but with Brownwood (12-2) quarterback Ike Hall scored his fourth rushing touchdown on a 5-yard carry with 1:26 left in the first quarter, it appeared as though the Lions – who traveled 70 yards in just eight plays on the go-ahead drive – would be headed to the state semifinals for the first time since 2010.
But Decatur (10-4) quarterback Jed Ross completed 6 of 8 passes for 74 yards on the Eagles’ final drive, eventually connecting with running back Nate Palmer – a TCU commit – on a 1-yard scoring toss to snatch the victory. Ross also connected on passes for 18 and 12 yards to Landon Felts and 18 and 16 yards to Luke White on the final drive.
Also on the Eagles’ last possession, seven seconds were placed back on the clock – moving the time from 20 seconds back to up 27 – when Decatur was whistled for substituting players in and not allowing Brownwood the opportunity to do the same, which brought the ongoing play to a halt and reset the clock.
“They go down and kick a field goal late, we keep our poise and march all the way down the field 70 yards and score,” Burnett said. “They go down at the end, last play of the game and score a touchdown to win it, and I tip my hat to them, they won the ball game. But the character our kids showed after the game is way more important to me than that win. That’s life, and that’s what we try and teach our kids. We use football as a tool to teach our young men. It wasn’t in the Lord’s will for us to win tonight. Sometimes we don’t know why, but it is what it is and He has better things in store for our kids I promise you because they built a foundation, they know what it means to work, they know what character means, they understand delayed gratification, and they win with honor and they lose with honor.”
The Lions finished with 410 yards of total offense – 210 on the ground and 200 through the air – with one turnover, while the Eagles amassed 437 yards – 230 rushing and 207 passing – and also coughed up the ball once.
Hall rushed 19 times for 165 yards and four touchdowns for the Lions while also completing 12 of 26 passes for 182 yards and another score. Carson Noe tallied seven receptions for 101 yards, Aaron Edmonds added two grabs for 60 yards and scored once, and Jaylan Brown chipped in 35 rushing yards.
For Decatur, Palmer generated 190 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries; Ross completed 16 of 23 passes for 207 yards and a score, while rushing for 26 yards and another touchdown; Felts led the way with seven grabs for 77 yards; White finished with four receptions for 96 yards; and Antwan Gilbreath caught three balls for 35 yards.
Trailing 21-7 with 7:01 left in the first half, the Lions closed the gap to 21-14 at halftime, thanks to a 49-yard touchdown pass from Hall to Aaron Edmonds with 5:28 left before halftime.
In the third period, after stuffing Decatur on a fourth-and-5 at the Brownwood 33, the Lions ventured 67 yards in 11 plays, with Hall plunging into the end zone from 3 yards out at the 5:10 mark to knot the score at 21.
The Lions defense followed with a three-and-out and Brownwood took over at its own 21 after a punt. Eight plays later, Hall broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown run that gave the Lions their first lead of the contest, 28-21, with a minute in the third period.
That advantage was short-lived, however, as Palmer returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, again evening the score at 28 with 45 seconds left in the third period.
The score remained tied until Decatur drove 65 yards in 11 plays – aided mostly by a 37-yard toss from Ross to White on third-and-5 from the Eagle 46 – to set up Greg McDonnell’s go-ahead field goal with 4:08 left, staking Decatur to a 31-28 lead.
Decatur also struck first in the opening half, moving 77 yards in 12 plays on its first possession as Palmer scored on a 3-yard carry at the 5:07 mark of the first period for a 7-0 Eagle edge.
Brownwood answered with an eight-play, 85-yard drive that culminated with a 44-yard keeper by Hall around the right side and down the sideline for a touchdown, tying the game at 7 with 1:44 left in the initial stanza.
The tide seemed to turn in the Lions’ favor when Raven Prado recovered an Gilbreath fumble at the Decatur 18 on the ensuing kickoff. Brownwood, however, ended the possession without points as a botched snap on a 35-yard field goal attempt resulted in kicker Junior Martinez throwing an interception to Eagle Nathan McCrory with eight seconds left in the first quarter.
Decatur then scored on its next two possessions, traveling 70 yards in just four plays as Palmer sprinted through the Brownwood defense for a 61-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-1 play. Then, trailing 14-7, the Lions surrendered a 68-yard trek that featured a 1-yard dive into the end zone by Ross, as Brownwood faced its largest deficit of season just shy of the midway point in the second period – but the Lions were able to claw their way back into the contest.
Reflecting on the season, Burnett said of the 2023 Lions, “They’re overachievers. You return one on offense and have 10 brand new ones, and we started eight sophomores. They went out and fought and did everything the coaches asked them to do and that shows the character of our kids. I couldn’t praise them any more. I am so thankful and happy for this season. I wish the outcome was different but that’s not the Lord’s plan, it is what it is. In life, you learn to get off the ground and you learn to get up and continue to fight and you become what you want to be in this world. When those guys are 25 and 30 years old we’re going to have a bunch of grown men leading families, leading our community, leading our government and leading our country and that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Friday’s game marked the end of the high school football careers for 22 Brownwood seniors.
“It’s a phenomenal class and I love them to death,” Burnett said. “From last December when we started until tonight, they showed leadership through the whole thing. They never fell apart, they always loved each other, believed in each other and never quit fighting the good fight.”
Next week, Decatur will face Region II champion Anna (13-1) – a 41-21 winner over Stephenville (11-3) Friday night – in the state semifinals with a berth in the Friday, Dec. 15 Class 4A Division I state championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on the line.
***
Decatur 38, Lions 35
SCORE BY QUARTERS
| Decatur | 7 | 14 | 7 | 10 | – 38 |
| Brownwood | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | – 35 |
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SCORING SUMMARY
D: Nate Palmer 3 run (Greg McDonnell kick), 5:07, 1st
B: Ike Hall 44 run (Junior Martinez kick), 1:44, 1st
D: Palmer 61 run (McDonnell kick), 10:34, 2nd
D: Jed Ross 1 run (McDonnell kick), 7:01, 2nd
B: Aaron Edmonds 49 pass from Hall (Martinez kick), 5:28, 2nd
B: Hall 3 run (Martinez kick), 5:10, 3rd
B: Hall 36 run (Martinez kick), 1:00, 3rd
D: Palmer 95 kick return (McDonnell kick), 0:45, 3rd
D: McDonnell 33 FG, 4:08, 4th
B: Hall 5 run (Martinez kick), 1:26, 4th
D: Palmer 1 pass from Ross (McDonnell kick), 0:04, 4th
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| TEAM STATS | D | B |
| First Downs | 24 | 22 |
| Total Offense | 437 | 410 |
| Rushes-Yards | 42-230 | 34-210 |
| Passing Yards | 207 | 200 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 16-23-0 | 13-28-1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 5-50 | 4-40 |
| Punts-Average | 2-39.5 | 5-40.4 |
***
PLAYER STATS
RUSHING: D – Nate Palmer 28-190, 2 TDs; Jed Ross 9-26, TD; Abram Graham 5-14. B – Ike Hall 19-165, 4 TDs; Jaylan Brown 13-35; Levi Pearson 2-10.
PASSING: D – Ross 16-23-0-207, TD. B – Hall 12-26-0-182, TD; Carson Noe 1-1-0-18; Junior Martinez 0-1-1-0.
RECEIVING: D – Landon Felts 7-77; Luke White 4-96; Antwan Gilbreath 3-35; Graham 1-4; Palmer 1-1, TD. B – Carson Noe 7-101; Aaron Edmonds 2-60, TD; Stone Ratliff 2-20; Hall 1-18; Brown 1-1.
KICKING: B – Junior Martinez 5 of 5 PATs. 0 of 1 FGs.
5 punts, 202 yards, 40.4 average.