by Zachary Harmuth
Brentwood Academy is 2-2 and has fallen fast. Friday night the Eagles travelled across two states to play St. Xavier (3-0) in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ending up 23-0, it was close until Swaffords second interception of the day put the game totally out of reach. This blank is BA’s first scoreless game since Ensworth, 20-0, last October, 10th.
The game was a defensive struggle, BA punting 8 times, and St. X 6. The difference came from St. X being able to run the ball (136 total rushing yards and two TDs, to just 75 for BA, with Lumpkin and Brashers both going for 29 yards). Rushing, and the 64-yards BA gave up on interception returns allowed St. X better starting spots and to put together longer drives that eventually paid off while BA did nothing on offense but throw picks and punt.
Tyler Swafford put together his season’s worst game, two picks, 10 for 25 for 107 yards.
The teams traded punts until halfway through the second, when the Bombers completed a long drive, to go into half up 7-0.
The teams traded punts and field position most of the third quarter, with the advantage going to St. X from an eight play, 64-yard drive that BA managed to limit to a field goal.
After the kickoff, a BA 3-and-out send St. X on another leisurely yet unstoppable drive (like a tectonic plate, or a hippopotamus) for 8 plays, 59 yards and a 17-0 lead.
Swafford threw his second pick of the day on the ensuing drive, with eight minutes left in the game, leading to a Bomber strike, a 23-0 lead and 2nd string the rest of the night.
St. Xavier was ranked by maxpreps ranking site as the 3rd best team in Ohio, and the 22nd best in the country.
BA is now two games, and two losses, on their current five- game road trip, and it could not be going any worse, with undefeated (and 4th ranked in Tenn.) Montgomery Bell coming up next,
