Cavs come up short at Briarwood Christian
BIRMINGHAM — It was the perfect night for the Briarwood Christian football team.
On a homecoming Friday in which former longtime head coach Fred Yancey was honored, the Lions rushed for 294 yards and rolled to a 48-16 win over visiting John Carroll Catholic School at Lions Pride Stadium.
Senior Luke Prewett was the bellcow, gaining 138 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. He also caught six passes for 45 yards.
“Luke is a stud,” said head coach Matthew Forester.
Freshman quarterback Christopher Vizzina was efficient, competing 10-of-13 passes for 120 yards and a 19-yard score to Christian Ferguson.
Briarwood (4-2, 3-1 in Class 5A, Region 4) also got two rushing scores from junior Tyler Waugh and one from Chandler Key.
“We’re starting to click,” Forester said. “They’re starting to really jell and come together.”
Eleven players rushed the ball for Briarwood, including offensive lineman Trent Howard. Every player on the roster saw action.
“It’s great on homecoming when the stands are full, parents and grandparents get to see their kids play,” Forester said.
For the Lions, Waugh finished with 22 yards and two scores. Key gained 29 yards and a score on seven carries. Andrew Jones and Vraj Patel had interceptions, while Will Barnes recovered a fumble.
For John Carroll, Nicholas Sellers threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 43 and 24 yards to Brock Sanders and Oneal Mearchant, respectively. The Cavaliers (2-5, 0-4 in region) also got a safety in the final quarter. Jeremiah Gibbs rushed for 31 yards on eight carries, while starting quarterback Jharad Johnson completed 11-of-26 passes for 40 yards and an interception. Patrick Wood recovered a fumble for John Carroll.
Briarwood stays in Region 4 play at Parker next Thursday. John Carroll hits the road for Pleasant Grove.
“We’ve got to go away again, and they’re a really good football team,” said John Carroll head coach Logan Colafrancesco. “We’ve got to quit making mistakes. When we make mistakes we don’t put ourselves in a position to win. If we don’t make mistakes, we’re doing everything we can to win.”
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