Briarwood’s comeback falls short in loss to Ramsay

Published 11:55 pm Friday, September 6, 2024

By Andrew Simonson

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By SETH HAGAN | Special to the Reporter

NORTH SHELBY – The Briarwood Christian Lions were hoping for a more triumphant return to Class 5A at home but ran up against a team in the Ramsay Rams that have been to the state championship each of the last two years.

The Lions scratched and clawed through offensive struggles all night and the defense brought them back to life in the fourth quarter, but their comeback ultimately fell short in a tough 23–14 loss to open play in Region 5.

“There were just too many self-inflicted wounds tonight. Our defense battled and tried to keep us in it, but you can’t make that many mistakes with the football against a team like that and expect to come out with a win,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forrester said.

The first half of the game took on the identity of a defensive grudge match. After Ramsay scored on their opening drive of the game, neither offense scored until after halftime.

Penalties reared their ugly head time and time again, hindering almost every drive by the Lions. The Ramsay defense was especially stout with several sacks and tackles for loss to further extend the BCS struggles in the half.

The Lions also had a punt attempt sail over their kicker’s head with the ball rolling out of the back of the end zone for a safety to give Ramsay a 9–0 lead in the second quarter.

Ramsay came out strong in the second half and after a Briarwood penalty on the kickoff needed just 34 yards of offense to score their second touchdown on fourth down, giving them a 15–0 advantage.

Desperate for points, the Lions next mounted what felt like a must-score drive. Slowly, they worked their way into Ramsay territory and completed a fourth down conversion to put them solidly in the red zone.

However, Ramsay’s vicious defense came through with another sack and followed that two plays later with a pick six interception to widen the gap, 23–0.

Briarwood wasn’t done yet, though, as their defense stepped up again to give them some hope.

The Lions made interceptions on consecutive Ramsay possessions with the second being a pick six of their own. A missed two-point conversion kept them two possessions behind with a score of 23-14, but they forged on.

The Lions turned up the heat on defense again and forced a stop for the offense. The unit quickly obliged and drove inside the Ramsay 5-yard line, but a bad snap and subsequent fumble gave the ball back to the Rams.

The defense’s final gasp forced a Ramsay punt to the 45-yard line, but a colossal hit on the punt returner jarred the ball loose and gave possession back to the Rams with less than three minutes to go. Ramsay held possession to effectively ice the game after that.

On defense for Briarwood, Sam Canale finished with two interceptions and Rylan Hamm and Asa Harris finished with an interception each for four total.

Eli Thompson and Brooks Allred tied for the team rushing lead with 33 yards apiece, and Britt Wagoner and Dane Whitehead both had the most receiving yards on the team with 34. Brayden Robertson led the two quarterbacks by going 7-for-15 for 64 yards and an interception.

Briarwood will continue region play on the road next week as they face the Carver-Birmingham Rams on Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.

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