Brownwood’s defense delivered the strongest early statement of the 2026 football season Thursday night, while the Lions’ rebuilt offense began to find its footing in a preseason scrimmage against Class 4A Division II No. 6 Brock at Gordon Wood Stadium.
The Class 4A Division II No. 24 Lions entered the season expecting their veteran defense to lead the way. That expectation held during the first scrimmage, as Brownwood’s starting defense did not allow a touchdown until 2:48 remained in the live quarter and kept Brock’s starters out of the end zone during the controlled portion of the matchup.
Brownwood also created a turnover when Aiden Jimenez and Wyatt Wolf converged on a Brock ball carrier after a short gain. The hit forced a fumble, which Kasyn Wooten recovered. Christian Gray and Isaac Gonzales provided pressure on the quarterback, while Hudson Deen recorded a tackle for loss.
Defense sets the tone at Gordon Wood Stadium
Brock’s touchdown came on a 30-yard jet sweep that finished a five-play, 55-yard drive. Earlier, the Eagles took possession at the Brownwood 39 after a failed fourth-and-1 run, but the drive ended at the Lion 21 on a fourth-and-7 strip sack.
In the controlled portion of the scrimmage, Brock reached the Brownwood 6 but failed to score on its opening set of plays. Brock’s backups later added three touchdowns, including a 70-yard carry, a 62-yard bubble screen and a 4-yard dive.
Brownwood coach Brixey said the defense performed as the team expected, but he also saw progress from an offense that is replacing key experience.
“We had a feeling we were going to be really good on defense and I felt like that showed tonight,” Brixey said. “Our kids were flying around tonight and played really good. Offensively, we’re light years ahead of where we were a year ago. That doesn’t mean we did good, but we at least looked like we had an idea of what we were doing and understood. Now we have to get way better at it.”
Late offensive drive provides encouragement
The Lions’ offense struggled for much of the live quarter, but its final drive provided a notable shift. Brownwood moved 56 yards in 10 plays, producing more total yardage than it had generated during the entire night to that point.
The drive stayed alive when Trent Buffington ran for 15 yards on a draw play from third-and-13 at the Brownwood 27. Rylan Martin, Jackson Rainey, Bowen Slack, Layton Greer and Julio Fletes opened the hole for the night’s largest Brownwood gain.
Two plays later, quarterback Riggs Gray connected with Conner Cornelius for 13 yards. A personal foul on the play moved the ball to the Brock 25. Gray then found tight end Garrett Wilkerson for 11 yards, advancing the Lions to the Brock 14 with less than 30 seconds remaining. The drive ended when time expired.
Even with that late improvement, Brownwood recorded only three first downs, lost two fumbles and allowed six sacks during the early controlled work. Brixey said the scrimmage’s value came from both teams being challenged.
“The way you lose a scrimmage is if you don’t play well, you don’t play hard, and don’t get better,” Brixey said. “The way you win a scrimmage is you play hard, and you play well, and you get better. In that regard, I felt like we won the scrimmage, but I also felt like Brock won because they had to play a little harder than they thought they were going to have to play, and they got better tonight, too. It was a win-win situation, and a great scrimmage for us.”
Injuries and next steps for Brownwood
The most significant concern was fullback Boudy Humphries, who left midway through the scrimmage after suffering a shoulder injury following a 7-yard reception. He did not return. Sirr Beam, Gus Stegemoller and Akiy Marinnie were held out because of injuries.
Brownwood will play its second and final preseason scrimmage next Thursday at Class 4A Division I No. 12 Alvarado. The Lions will then open the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, at Class 5A Division II Abilene Wylie.
Before that Alvarado scrimmage, Brixey said Brownwood needs to build depth at fullback, settle its offensive line and improve its tackling. He also said the Lions must prevent opponents from gaining unnecessary extra yardage and improve blocking at the point of attack.