The good news for Brookwood is that the season has just begun. The bad news is that the season has just begun, and offensively, the Broncos have a long way to go.
Valdosta made the most of its five-hour trip north and pummeled Brookwood 31-0 in Game 3 of 5, Saturday in the Corky Kell Classic at McEachern’s Walter H. Cantrell Stadium. But the game really wasn’t that close, as the Wildcats missed three field goals from 45-yards and closer, and turned the ball over twice inside the Brookwood 10-yard line – once after and goal line stand by the Bronco defense, the other on a fumble by Valdosta quarterback Cole Massingill.
Still, the game was never really in doubt as the Wildcats’ defense smothered anything Brookwood attempted offensively. The Broncos’ initial first down came midway into the third quarter and Brookwood managed just six for the game and finished with a total of 151 yards, 46 on the ground on 24 carries. Brookwood also committed six turnovers – four fumbles and two interceptions, both by Valdosta cornerback Josh Norwood. The shutout loss was the first one suffered by the Broncos since they were blanked 7-0 by Parkview in the 2008 season finale.
The misery started early for the Broncos. After Valdosta’s initial drive of the game resulted in a missed field goal from 42 yards out, the Wildcats cashed in on a Brookwood mistake for the game’s first score. The Broncos appeared to have picked up a first down when quarterback William McCullough hit Ricky Sharma with a dart over the middle. But Sharma fumbled and Valdosta safety Antoine Kincade recovered the ball at the Broncos’ 31 yard line.
Four plays later, after a 27-yard completion from Seth Shuman to Ricco Ramsey and an encroachment penalty moved the ball to the 3-yard line, Tim Griffin sprinted into the end zone for a 7-0 Valdosta lead after Brennan Goodson’s extra point kick.
Valdosta, which wasn’t dominant offensively thanks to a gutsy Brookwood defense, came up empty on its next three drives. The Wildcats went up 10-0 late in the second quarter after a 32-yard field goal by Goodson.
On Valdosta’s second possession of the third quarter, the Bronco defense looked as if it was about to hold again, as the Wildcats faced third-and-26 from the Brookwood 44-yard line. But Griffin grabbed a bubble screen pass from Shuman in the near flat, picked up a couple of blocks, broke a tackle and danced into the end zone to effectively put the game away midway through the third quarter.
The Wildcats scored their final two touchdowns of the game less than a minute apart in the fourth quarter. First, Norwood’s second interception of the game set up a 12-yard touchdown run by Griffin, his third score of the afternoon. Then on Brookwood’s next possession, Leonard Warner fumbled after making a reception and cornerback Detravion Durden returned it 13-yards for a touchdown for the game's final points.
