Western Brown’s Ty Loudon celebrates during the Broncos’ 54-40 win over Washington Court House. Photo by Shelly Cornett.
Western Brown’s Isaiah Smith recorded seven catches for 161 yards against Washington Court House. Photo by Shelly Cornett.
Western Brown’s trip to Washington Court House in week two was certainly an eventful one.
Most importantly, it was a victorious one. The Broncos tamed the Blue Lions 54-40 in a shootout that saw the teams combine for 94 points and over 1,000 yards of offense.
“It was definitely a wild one,” Western Brown head coach Nick Osborne said. “We faced a lot of adversity and our kids did a really good job overcoming that.”
The Broncos led 21-0 at one point in the first quarter. Washington Court House pulled within eight points early in the second quarter and an interception gave the Blue Lions a chance to tie the game.
Western Brown’s defense responded, forcing and recovering a fumble. The Broncos struck for another touchdown through the air to take a 28-13 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Western Brown fumbled on their first drive of the third quarter. The Blue Lions scored, tried for two and failed to convert, giving the Broncos a 28-19 lead.
Another fumble and another Washington Court House touchdown pulled the hosts within two points at 28-26 with 3:07 left in the third period.
A.J. Graham gave the Broncos some cushion with a five-yard touchdown run, but the ensuing extra point was blocked.
Later in the third quarter, the Bronco defense found the end zone. Spencer Smith picked off a pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown and a 40-26 Western Brown lead after three periods.
Washington Court House wouldn’t go away quietly. Another touchdown trimmed the Broncos’ lead to 40-33. Drew Novak responded with a two-yard touchdown run but the Blue Lions scored again to trim the lead to 46-40 with 5:53 left in the contest.
Shortly after that touchdown, the lights at Gardner Park went out, prompting a delay in the game.
“That was an experience,” Osborne said. “I’ve never dealt with the lights going off other than Wilmington’s last year, half of them were off. For all fo them to go out for five minutes or whatever it was, it was crazy. An experience you’ll never forget.”
Once things got back underway, Novak added another rushing touchdown, this one from 10 yards out. An interception late in the contest allowed the Broncos to run out the clock and improve to 2-0 on the season.
“When our defense needed to step up, they stepped up,” Osborne said. “They really kept us in the game. Offensively, we didn’t play well, we just didn’t put it all together for 48 minutes. Our defense won us that game by far.”
Western Brown finished with 594 yards of offense. Novak accounted for 450 yards passing and four touchdowns to go along with one interception. He also carried the ball 11 times for 61 yards and three touchdowns.
Zackery Chisman recorded 18 carries for 83 yards. He also had six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Smith had seven receptions for 161 yards to lead the team in both categories.
Matthew Frye (four catches, 131 yards) and Matthew Osborne (two catches, 23 yards) both found the end zone for the Broncos. Graham and Lucas Powell had one reception each.
“The offense sputtered all night, it was almost like we were in quicksand the whole second and third quarter,” Osborne said. “We were able to pick it up in the fourth and make some big plays.”
Defensively, Jace Beasley and Ryen Marthaler recovered fumbles for the Broncos. Smith, Frye, and Quentin Collins each recorded interceptions. Collins also led the team in tackles with 16.
Western Brown has a key non-league matchup on tap this week. The Broncos are slated to host Monroe on September 2 in a clash between two of the top teams in Division III, Region 12.
“They’re a really good football team,” Osborne said. “They’re super athletic. We lost to them last year and we felt like we should have won that game, but last year is last year….If we can come out victorious, it’s really going to boost our playoff standings for the future. Just a big game for us.”
