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Brookfield wins battle of the big plays
By Tom Williams
BROOKFIELD
In a first half full of big plays, Brookfield wide receiver Jimmy Quinlan came through with the biggest.
In the final moments of the second quarter, Quinlan caught a lateral pass from his twin brother, Jeremy, then fired a strike to wide-open Joe Clark for a 39-yard touchdown.
There was no doubt in Quinlan’s mind that the backbreaking play would work.
“I saw Joe wide open, hit him on the numbers and he got his hands up for me,” said Quinlan after Brookfield defeated Youngstown Christian, 33-7.
The victory should keep Brookfield (9-0) in the top spot in the Division IV Region 13 playoff ratings. In this week’s Associated Press poll of Ohio teams, Brookfield is number five.
Youngstown Christian (6-2) is sixth in the Division VI Region 21 ratings.
“This team, in the Division VI [playoffs, is going to make a lot of noise,” Brookfield head coach Randy Clark said of the Eagles. “They put seven guys in the box and dared us to run.
“We ran the ball not as well as we have been.”
The Warriors rushed 40 times for 191 yards.
Asked how often they practice the lateral pass, Quinlan said, “Thursday, we did it once. [The play call] came out of nowhere in the game.”
The play stunned the Eagles, putting the Warriors ahead 21-7 at halftime.
“This is, by far, the best team we’ve played,” Youngstown Christian coach Brian Marrow said. “They have the total package — I hope they win state. They are that talented.”
Things started well for the Eagles as quarterback Emmett Underwood led a drive inside the Brookfield 25 on their first possession.
But Brookfield’s Ryan Mosora ended the threat with an interception returned 92 yards for a 6-0 lead.
Darien Townsend struck back immediately, returning the kickoff 93 yards to put Youngstown Christian ahead, 7-6.
“They were real physical, had a lot of speed.” Quinlan said. “We had to face some adversity in the first half and we pulled through.”
Things began to unravel for the Eagles in the second quarter. On fourth and long, Townsend opted to run instead of punting and was stopped at the Youngstown Christian 15.
On the next play, Mosora scored on a 15-yard run to put the Warriors ahead for keeps.
“We did shoot ourselves in the foot a lot,” Marrow said. “But our kids really fought. We didn’t have it mentally tonight and that’s my fault.”
After the opening possession, the Eagles struggled, gaining just 22 yards on 21 carries.