by Zachary Harmuth
The heartbreak! Oh, say it ain’t so, Eagles! It ain’t right!
Something, at least, does not seem right with Brentwood Academy football.
The Eagles went on the road to Montgomery Bell (5-0, 2-0 in AA Division II) Friday night and came home with a 29-22 overtime loss and a 2-3 (0-2 in AA Division II) record.
BA is 5-7 against MBA since 2004. Though before this loss, the Eagles were 3-0 against Big Red going back to a 42-41 loss in November 2009.
Both teams came out swinging, BA chalked up a 22-14 lead after the 1st quarter, and neither team scored again until the last minute of the game.
After the first quarter BA just could not keep its offense moving, punting five times in the game. But MBA had the same trouble, punting 7 times. BA went for it four times on fourth down, and only converted once. MBA went for it on 4th twice, succeeding once.
This game came third in a hitherto disastrous five game BA road trip. Even worse, the Eagles were winning for more than 40 minutes of the 48 in this game. And the other 8 minutes they spent tied with MBA.
In fact, with 1:40 left in the 4th BA was running out the clock, practically in field goal range, and one first down away from being able to take knees to end the game.
Then Shon Lumpkin fumbled and MBA recovered on their own 34.
In 57 seconds Big Red drove 66 yards and scored. Then, still down by two, nailed the conversion to tie it up at 22.
If anything they scored too quickly, leaving 43 seconds in the game.
So they tried and recovered an onside kick. They completed a pass to the ten, but regulation ended.
So, starting from the ten, as per overtime rules, they scored a touchdown with two rushes.
Starting at the ten, BA needed a touchdown in its next 4 tries or lose. Tyler Swafford pass incomplete. Shawn Brashers run 1 yard gain. Swafford pass incomplete . . . Swafford pass incomplete. Game over.
So halfway through the season, BA has lost as many times as it did all of last year or the year before. It also has not had a losing record through five games in at least the last 10 years. In 2009, though, BA was 3-3 at one point, finishing the year 8-4.
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