Brandywine’s Jacob Frazier runs away from a Centreville defender Thursday night. The Bobcats defeated the Bulldogs 27-14 to improve to 2-0 on the year. (Daily Star photo/ERIKA PICKLES)

By ERIKA PICKLES

Niles Daily Star

The Brandywine varsity football team had much to celebrate Thursday night as the Bobcats improved their record to 2-0 with a 27-14 win over visiting Centreville.

Head coach Mike Nate was bombarded with praise after the game and although he admitted it feels good to be where their at, he knows there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to keep the winning streak alive.

“We can’t relax just yet. We’ve still got seven more games ahead of us and we’re going to take each game one by one,” Nate said.

The game remained scoreless during the first quarter of play, with Brandywine putting the first points on the board at 9:51 in the second. Corey Luhrsen ran the ball in from the 5-yard line giving the Bobcats a 6-0 lead. A two-point conversion attempt from quarterback Stone Hadley to tight end Jacob Frazier was unsuccessful.

Centreville’s first possession of the second quarter was quickly halted as junior Josh Miller, a key player for the Bulldogs, went down with a neck injury. Miller was taken away by ambulance, where it was reported he sustained a neck injury. Assistants from Centreville said Miller was doing better, but the extent of his injury was unknown at press-time.

Brandywine quickly took possession of the ball when the game resumed approximately 25 minutes later, when junior Mike Schoenleber ran the ball to the 2-yard line on a punt return. Frazier made a flying catch in the end zone on the next play, and added two points with a successful conversion, to put the Bobcats ahead 14-0- at half-time.

“Our defense did a great job in the first half. We stopped Centreville when we needed to and never really gave them a chance to get close tot he end-zone,” Nate said.

Another key, according to Nate, were three first downs in a row to open the third, which was followed bu a 10-yard touchdown from Chanc Ravish. Hadley’s kick for an extra point was good, giving the Bobcats a 21-0 lead.

“We scored 15 points in a matter of one and a half minutes and that was big for us,” Nate said.

The Bulldogs finally put their first set of points on the board with 2:28 left in the third as Josh Mieras ran the ball in from the 5-yard line. The field goal attempted was blocked by two Brandywine defenders, bringing the score to 21-6 entering the fourth.

Centreville opened the final quarter with possession on their own 22 yard line, but after only two plays, Brandywine’s Joe Jena made an interception at the 43 yard line. Although the Bobcats were unsuccessful on that drive, they quickly turned around on their next possession and added another six points to the score with a 7-yard touchdown from Austin Bertschy with 1:14 left to play.

With the score at 27-6 with just over a minute to play, the Bobcats felt comfortable knowing they had another victory in the bag. However, the Bulldogs proved they weren’t ending the game without a fight as Mieras ran down the field for a 99-yard punt return, putting Centreville right back in the game.

“That kind of surprised us, but it goes to show that the game isn’t over until the clock runs out. Luckily our guys hopped right back in and our offensive line did what they needed to keep the ball in our possession for the rest of the game,” Nate said.

Centreville’s 2-point conversion was a successful, but the comeback attempt came a little too late for the Bulldogs.

The Bobcats ended the night with 258 yards, while Centreville had 131. Hadley had a total of 11 completed passes for Brandywine and added 158 yards in punting.

“Stone did a great job for us tonight. He’s an outstanding athlete and he came through with a few big plays that really set the tone for the guys,” Nate said.

Hadley credited his team and offensive line for his strong performance at quarterback.

“I have to give the offensive line the credit because without them, I wouldn’t have been able to complete a lot of the passes or break away from the defenders. They really did a great job tonight and I really have great hopes for this team this year,” Hadley said.

Brandywine will hit the road for its next three games, with Bridgman being the next competitor on the schedule. The Bobcats will face the Bees on Friday, Sept. 10 and will not return home for another game until Oct. 1st.

“Our goal right now is to get better everyday. We’ve got a tough road ahead of us, but the hard work has been and will continue to pay off. These guys are excited, the fans are excited and I’m excited,” Nate added.

Centreville  0  0  6  8 — 14

Brandywine  014  7  6  — 27

B – Corey Luhrsen 5 run (pass failed)

B – Jacob Frazier 5 run (pass complete)

B – Chanc Ravish 10 run (Stone Hadley kick)

C – Josh Mieras 5 run (kick blocked)

B – Austin Bertschy7 run (kick failed)

C – Josh Mieras 99 run (pass complete)