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Briarwood overcame an early 14-0 deficit with a big second half from both sides of the ball to beat John Carroll and keep its playoff hopes alive. (For the Reporter/Dawn Harrison)

By NIC YOUNG | Special to the Reporter

NORTH SHELBY – The Briarwood Christian Lions climbed out of an early 14-0 hole to defeat the John Carroll Cavaliers, 21-17 and continue their chase for a playoff berth.

“That’s the story of this team, and that’s what I appreciate,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester said. “They’re willing to battle each week and give it their best shot. I’m proud of the defense. The offense wasn’t clicking early, but they figured out a way.”

Briarwood opened the game pushing the ball down the field before stalling out and punting near midfield.

When the Cavaliers took over for their opening drive, they appeared to be headed towards a similar result as the Lions. John Carroll punted the ball away near midfield, but a penalty against Briarwood for running into the punter kept the offense drive alive.

Now operating in plus-territory at the Briarwood 30-yard line, the John Carroll offense struck quickly. Quarterback Garrett Barnes found receiver Aubrey Walker for a 30-yard touchdown to give the Cavaliers a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Lions could not get any offense going on their following possession, punting after three plays. The kick didn’t get much hang time and landed near midfield for the next John Carroll possession.

The Cavaliers got to work quickly, finding the end zone in three plays. This time, Barnes found receiver Jaylin Shepard for the 25-yard score to make the lead 14-0 near the end of the first quarter.

Following two empty possessions, the Lions began to piece together a lengthy offensive drive. Running back Luke Reynolds opened the drive with eight straight carries totaling 39 yards to put Briarwood at the Cavalier 32-yard line.

After this momentum began to slow down for the Lions, and they chose to attempt a field goal when facing fourth down. The attempt proved to be unsuccessful, surrendering possession back to John Carroll.

This possession was short-lived, however, as the Lions’ defense forced the Cavaliers to cough up the football. The Briarwood defense fell on the football to give possession back to their offense.

The Lions did not take the short field for granted, taking the ball from the Cavalier 25-yard line to the end zone in six plays. Reynolds carried it in in from the seven-yard line to put the Lions on the board, 14-6, with the second quarter winding down.

Both teams did not generate much offense to kick off the second half, exchanging punts for the first half of the third quarter.

A botched snap by John Carroll while punting the ball and a personal foul following the play placed the Lions in prime position at the Cavalier 25-yard line.

The Lions moved the ball to the 7-yard line before facing fourth down. Briarwood once again lined up for a field goal attempt, but the try was no good.

The Lions defense responded well on the following drive and forced John Carroll to punt the ball after four plays.

The Briarwood offense approached the ensuing possession with a sense of urgency, marching down the field in four plays for the score.

Quarterback Charles Dedmon capped off the drive with a 39-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dane Whitehead. A successful two-point attempt tied the game up 14-14 to close out the third quarter.

John Carroll generated a quick response, moving down the field off the efforts of running backs Tristen Rutledge and John Ford. The offense made it to the Briarwood 10-yard line before deciding to kick a field goal on fourth down, retaking the lead 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter.

After a series of punts, the Lions had the ball with four minutes left in the game.

Briarwood stole all the momentum of this match-up in one sudden swoop as Dedmon hit running back Elijah Thompson for a 54-yard gain to place the Lions on the John Carroll 4-yard line with just over two minutes left in the game.

Reynolds would drive the score in a few plays later to give the Lions a 21-17 lead with less than two minutes to go in the ball game.

The Cavaliers operated their two-minute drill effectively. With two seconds left in the game, John Carroll was at the Lions 18-yard with the game in the balance.

The Briarwood defense came up big once again sacking the quarterback as time expired to assure victory and keep their playoff hopes alive.

While some of their playoff fate is out of their hands, Forester told his team that their one goal right now is to take care of games in front of them and control what they can control.

“We need to focus on being the best team we can each day,” Forester said. “You can’t worry about external factors. You’ve just got to play football.”

Reynolds totaled 104 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Dedmon went 7-for-11 passing for 146 yards and a touchdown. Thompson was his top receiver with three catches for 72 yards.

The Lions improve to 3-5 (1-3) and will travel to take on the Hayden Wildcats next week on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at Hayden High School.

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