By SAM McGAW
The Brentwood Bruins look to build on their recent win with a region contest against Rossview, while Ravenwood aims to rebound with a battle at Mt. Juliet.
See below for a closer look at those matchups:
Rossview (0-2) at Brentwood (1-1), 7 pm. Friday*
Fresh off of a dominating win over their cross-town rival, the Brentwood Bruins set their sights on riding their recent momentum into a Region 7-Class 5A bout against Rossview.
The Bruins pounded Ravenwood 41-10 in a matchup that was finished Saturday after the second half was postponed due to lightning Friday night.
The game was tied at 10 entering halftime.
“I was really impressed with the renewed focus,” Brentwood head coach Ron Crawford said. “We were able to come back, focus in and do our job in the second half. I thought it was pretty cool to see them do that. I learned they can fight a little adversity.”
Brentwood’s defense forced five turnovers and five sacks in the victory.
The performance came just one week after it held Independence’s high-powered offense to 21 points.
“Our kids and our staff have a better grasp of what we’re doing at this point,” Crawford stated. “All of those guys, whether they were on the field or not, got reps in that defense last year. There’s nothing like repetition to make yourself better. I think the familiarity of what we’re doing has played a big role.”
The next challenge for Brentwood’s defense is stopping a Redhawks’ attack that relies on the big play.
Rossview enters Friday’s contest with an 0-2 record after it lost to Beech 42-21 last week.
“They scored 21 points at Beech, but they never crossed the 50-yard line,” Crawford said. “All of their offense comes in big chunks and big plays. They utilize two quarterbacks; one’s more of a wildcat runner and the other is more of a passer.”
Brentwood’s offense is led by quarterback Carson Shacklett.
The junior dual-threat enters the contest with 342 passing yards, 154 rushing yards, five touchdowns (2 rush) and two interceptions.
He has a trio of weapons on the outside in receivers Parker Bullion (10 rec., 151 yds, 1 TD), Will Leone (4 rec., 105 yds, 2 TDs) and Christian LaBreche (8 rec., 114 yds, 1 TD).
Running back Collin Rudolph balances out the attack.
He has 172 rushing yards and a touchdown on 46 carries.
Ravenwood (1-1) at Mt. Juliet (1-1), 7 p.m. Friday*
The Ravenwood Raptors saw their 12-game winning streak come to a close Saturday with a 41-10 loss against Brentwood.
It was the team’s worst defeat since it lost by 33 points against Blackman in the 2013 playoffs.
It’ll look to begin a new win streak Friday when it wraps up its three-game road series against the Mt. Juliet Golden Bears.
Quarterback McCain Marrow leads the Raptors’ offense.
The senior struggled in Saturday’s defeat, as he threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles.
He finished with 231 passing yards and one touchdown.
His top weapons are wide receivers John Rall (17 rec., 242 yds, 1 TD), Nathan Freeman (11 rec., 169, 1 TD) and Seth Smeltz (11 rec., 169 yds).
Rall has quickly become one of Marrow’s favorite targets.
The senior posted his second straight 100-yard game this past weekend, as he recorded a game-high 10 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown.
While the Raptors have had plenty of success through the air, they’ve struggled mightily on the ground.
They’ve recorded only 68 rushing yards on 36 carries this season.
If they’re going to get their ground attack rolling, this is the week to do it.
Mt. Juliet has allowed 467 yards and five touchdowns on the ground this season. It was gashed for 196 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 27-19 loss against Cane Ridge.
On the other side of the ball, Ravenwood’s defense will be tested against Mt. Juliet’s run-heavy attack.
The Golden Bears have rushed for 426 yards and five touchdowns already this season.
Quarterback Mason Earls leads the unit. He’s rushed for 165 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries this year.
Defensive end Tahj Williams (13 tkls, 1 sack, 1 FR) and linebackers Carter Nelson (17 tkls, 1 FR) and Mason Stauffer (15 tkls) headline the Raptors’ defense.
Sam McGaw is sports editor of Home Page Media Group. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@SamMcGawSports.
