The Brownwood Lions open District 13-4A Division II competition at home Friday night against one of the state’s toughest teams: the undefeated, No. 2-ranked Waco La Vega Pirates.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Gordon Wood Stadium. Brownwood enters the district opener at 2-3 after closing its pre-district schedule with a 42-21 victory over China Spring, a season-best offensive performance that produced 42 points and 436 total yards. The Lions then had a bye week before beginning league play.
Second-year Brownwood head coach Jeryl Brixey said district games carry greater significance, but acknowledged the challenge of facing La Vega immediately. “It’s good to get started playing the games that truly count, but it might be better to not be playing the top dog in Game 1,” Brixey said.
A difficult early test for Brownwood
La Vega arrives with a 5-0 record and a series of dominant wins. The Pirates have defeated Franklin 42-16, Austin LBJ 57-0, Tyler Chapel Hill 40-14, Waco University 33-7 and Waco High 40-14.
The Pirates are averaging 42 points and 342 yards per game, including 204 rushing yards and 138 passing yards. Quarterback Kourtney Parr Jr. has thrown for 690 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, while adding 55 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
La Vega’s leading receivers include Jemarcus Daniel, with 15 catches for 248 yards and two touchdowns, and Deadrick Stuart, with 11 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. Benjamin Thompson leads the rushing attack with 521 yards and six touchdowns. Jourden Walker has 197 rushing yards and one touchdown, while Tristan Tyler has 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Brixey said La Vega has a large offensive line and has emphasized the run more than in previous seasons. “They run the football more than they have in the past, they’re running it about two-thirds of the time,” he said. Brownwood will need to contain Parr and slow the Pirates’ ground game while remaining alert to their receivers.
The matchup has historically favored La Vega. Brownwood is 2-8 all-time against the Pirates, and the Lions’ last win in the series came in 2009. La Vega has won all six meetings between the teams since 2018.
Brownwood looks to build on China Spring performance
Brownwood is averaging 18.8 points and 272.6 yards per game through five contests, including 159.6 rushing yards and 113 passing yards. The Lions have committed four turnovers.
Running back Trent Buffington is coming off a 198-yard, four-touchdown performance and leads the team with 683 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 140 carries. Sirr Beam has added 54 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Isaac Gonzales has 38 yards on six carries.
Quarterback Riggs Gray has completed 39 of 90 passes for 557 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Brownwood’s leading receiving targets are Jack Bauchman, with 10 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown; Conner Cornelius, with nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown; and Brody Bolton, with six catches for 172 yards and a touchdown.
Brixey said the Lions’ running game has shown promise, while the passing attack remains an area for improvement. “Riggs has done a really good job in the play action passing game, but dropping back and throwing the football, we haven’t been real effective at that and that’s something we can get better at and improve on,” he said.
Brownwood’s defense has allowed 34.8 points and 428.2 yards per game, including 224.8 rushing yards and 203.4 passing yards. The Lions have forced 10 takeaways, with five coming against China Spring.
Isaac Gonzales leads Brownwood with 36 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery. Hudson Fry has 34.5 tackles, while Hudson Deen has 31 tackles and a blocked extra-point return for two points. Sirr Beam has 29.5 tackles and three interceptions. Wyatt Wolf has two interceptions and a blocked field goal, while Hutton Malone has two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Brownwood’s special teams have also produced. Aiden Jimenez is 3-for-6 on field goals, with a long of 22 yards, and 11-for-12 on extra points. Hudson Deen has punted 25 times for 983 yards, averaging 39.3 yards with a long of 65 and six punts inside the 20-yard line.
What the Lions must do Friday
La Vega has allowed only 13 points per game and has 20 takeaways, including 11 interceptions. Craig Bradley has six interceptions, while defensive end Eddison King has eight sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Brixey said La Vega’s defensive backs tackle well, its linebackers move quickly and its defensive front could force Brownwood into difficult passing situations. The Lions will try to repeat the physical rushing performance they showed against China Spring and create opportunities through play-action passing.
According to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, Brownwood is a 23-point underdog. Friday’s game will provide the Lions’ first district test and an immediate measure of how they match up against the unbeaten team favored to lead the league.