Since 2002 Brandywine had more defeats than victories on the gridiron, but coach Mike Nate managed in his second season with a winning 5-4 2010 campaign after kicking winless River Valley 61-30 Friday evening as each team ran for over 300 yards.

Seniors scored all the points for the Bobcats in the first half as they took a 36-6 lead over the Mustangs into intermission.

On the fourth play of the game Stone Hadley scored from nine yards and then completed a roll out pass to Jacob Frazier for two points and five minutes later Dustin Sater rambled 18 yards up the middle six plays after a River Valley fumble for a 15-0 lead which stood for the remaining first stanza.

Hadley had another touchdown early in the second quarter as he faked to a running back and found an opening to his left for 48 yards and outran the last defender for the last twenty.

Sater scored the next touchdown in the first half on a similar 58-yard play which quickly erased the only score by the Mustangs on the previous possession.  Senior Tommy Doepker reached paydirt from his wing position from five yards with 2:36 on the clock for River Valley.

The final score came with 51 seconds left when Corey Luhrsen ran 25 yards off tackle.

“It was an all around game with a team concept as five guys had big contributions on offense,” noted Nate. “We put it all together tonight for the first winning season in eight years and got to clear the bench for everyone to play in the second half.”

Gaining 128 yards on the ground at half with one carry for an additional twenty markers was Sater with Luhrsen getting half a century on only four totes. Hadley completed both of his passes plus his conversion to Frazier for 26 yards.

Another senior, Brenden Nichols, not only drummed open holes from his tackle position, but showed his percussion skills at halftime with the band.

“I like playing the drums at halftime and have been doing it for nine years with the hope of going to college to study music and play football next year,” stated Nichols. “The coach wanted to play the younger guys in the second half and will be back to support my freshman brother (Alec) as it feels good to go out with a win.”

Junior Austin Searles was the star in the early part of the third quarter as he intercepted a pass on defense then scored a touchdown on a Hadley aerial from 21 yards and then reached the end zone from 59 yards a quarter later.

The other two Bobcat scores came with runs by freshman Trevor Jones (five yards) and sophomore Michael Shelton (11 yards) with senior Adrian Shell scoring the final point with 43.7 seconds remaining.

Doepker rushed for two one-yard scores in the second half as he compiled 187 yards on 33 carries as the Mustangs amassed 22 first downs. River Valley as a team ran for 332 yards on 65 carries with sophomore Anthony Chisholm gaining 83 in the second half alone.

“We still hope to be one of the 5-4 teams called, but it was a successful season either way,” concluded Nate. “It is an outside, but not a great chance for the playoffs.”

River Valley  0 6 8 16 — 30

Brandywine 15 21 6 19 — 61

BR – Stone Hadley 9 run (Jacob Frazier pass from Hadley)

BR – Dustin Sater 18 run (Hadley kick)

BR – Hadley 48 run (Hadley kick)

RV – Tommy Doepker 5 run (pass failed)

BR – Sater 58 run (Hadley kick)

BR – Corey Luhrsen 25 run (Hadley kick)

BR — Austin Searles 21 pass Hadley (pass failed)

RV – Doepker 1 run (Doepker passfrom Jason German)

BR – Trevor Jones 5 run (kick blocked)

RV – Steven Snyder 35 pass German (Doepker run)

BR – Searles 59 pass Hadley (pass failed)

RV – Doepker 1 run (Marc Mrozinski run)

BR – Michael Shelton 11 run (Adrian Shell kick)

Varsity record: Brandywine 5-4; River Valley 0-9