By SAM McGAW Photos by ANDY COLLIGNON
Brentwood Academy came out swinging on the Father Ryan Fightin’ Irish (4-4) Friday.
The Eagles (6-2), who were on the heels of a 31-24 loss against Montgomery Bell Academy, poured on 49 points in the first half en route to a 52-3 knockout at home.
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“You can tell a lot about a team by how they respond from what was a frustrating game and a game that we got outplayed in,” BA head coach Cody White said. “I thought our kids did a good job of listening and pulling together.”
BA safety Camron Johnson scored touchdowns on a recovery of a botched snap to Father Ryan punter Anthony Hagey and a 13-yard return of a fumble by running back Elton Nkwembe.
Johnson nearly added another touchdown on a blocked punt midway through the first quarter, but wasn’t able to gain control of the ball before it rolled out of bounds at the 2-yard line.
“We got great pressure on the punter and I was just in the right spot at the right time, and I got lucky on the fumble return after someone kicked it after Josh Higgs forced the fumble,” Johnson said. “Those were two great plays by my teammates to set me up to be in the right place.”
Johnson, who’s fielding scholarship offers from Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Louisville and other schools as a wide receiver, has scored four touchdowns on defense and special teams this season.
“He’s a talented kid and a great kid, but what I love most about him is he’s as humble as you can get,” White said. “That’s hard to find this day and age, when everyone is telling you how great you are.”
BA added an interception by safety Evan Beddoe and a 34-yard pick-six by cornerback Kenyon Garlington to finish with three takeaways.
Due to favorable field position throughout the evening, the Eagles’ offense managed just 230 total yards.
Quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall led the unit with 116 passing yards and two touchdowns.
His 3-yard touchdown toss to tight end/backup quarterback Gavin Schoenwald pushed the Eagles ahead 21-0.
He later hit Griffin Hodge on a 30-yard touchdown strike for a 28-3 advantage.
Schoenwald added a 3-yard touchdown pass to Michael Hunt for a 42-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Running back Mario Pleasant opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run two minutes into the game, and Toby Wilson’s 37-yard field goal capped the scoring with four minutes left in the third quarter.
BA enters its bye week before closing the regular season at McCallie on Oct. 28.
Sam McGaw is sports editor of Home Page Media Group. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SamMcGawSports.
