Passing the torch

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Over the past three years, no quarterback has dominated the gridiron in Jackson County quite like Brownstown Central’s Clay Brown.

During his tenure at Brownstown Central, Brown broke 18 school records at the quarterback position.

This season, Brown led the Braves to their second-straight Mid-Southern Conference title and a 10-1 record. The Braves went undefeated in the regular season before falling to Charlestown in sectional.

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The senior finished 2014 with 1,948 passing yards by completing 134 passes on 208 attempts with 32 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Brown averaged 177 yards per game this season while maintaining a quarterback rating of 142.1.

“We changed our offense to accommodate (Brown) because he threw the ball so well,” Braves coach Reed May said. “We are traditionally a running team, and we changed our offensive scheme to help him do what he does best.”

With all of his accomplishments this season, The Tribune has named Brown the 2014 Football Player of the Year.

“We’ve had a lot of great quarterbacks here at Brownstown,” May said. “Throwing-wise, he’s probably the best throwing quarterback I’ve ever had. We’ve had other ones with different skill sets. I’ve had some pretty good quarterbacks in my 22 years here.”

Brown finishes his career with a record of 32-4, which includes a 2013 sectional title.

“He’s a great kid with a great family,” May said. “He is very intelligent. That’s something that really stands out about him — he knew the game extremely well. He’s a very quiet, polite kid who works very hard at what he does. He was a real pleasure to coach.”

In his years of coaching, May said he had never started a quarterback as a sophomore until Brown joined his squad after playing a year of junior varsity.

“Knowing Clay, honestly I didn’t think he was ready his sophomore year (2012),” May said. “So that winter, I really worked with a couple of seniors who played slot (receiver). When summer started, and we did drills and so forth, Clay was just as good as they were. He really played beyond my expectations.”

Brown set a number of single-game records as a junior, so there were high expectations for him in 2014.

“I wanted him to play better, or as well, as he did his junior year,” May said. “We had high expectations going into the season and we had a great year. We had 21 seniors and it was a great group. He had a great career and the seniors did, too.”

Growing up, Brown modeled his game after former Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre. Clay’s father, Jerry Brown, immersed his son in football at an early age as he acted as the Braves’ defensive coordinator.

“A lot of the work he did was on his own,” May said. “He’s been around football all his life, and a lot of (football prowess) comes from being around the game. With his dad coaching, I remember him being around since the 56ers program. A lot of the intangibles you learn on your own. It’s amazing what you can learn from watching football on TV.”

While Brown relies on his high football IQ, he also puts the time in to be in top-physical condition.

“He did a great job all season,” May said. “His sophomore year I was a little worried because he wasn’t very big, strong or fast. But he kept getting stronger and stronger. He made himself into an athlete.”

The Braves underclassmen looked up to Brown during his tenure.

“We had a lot of seniors who were good leaders, but I think the kids just respected Clay,” May said. “Your quarterback needs to be respected by his teammates. He did a great job during practice and running our scout teams. He’s not a vocal leader — he uses quiet leadership. He was able to help the whole team throughout the season with his knowledge of our offense.”

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Brownstown Central quarterback Clay Brown finished his high school career with a number of school records.

Most passing touchdowns in a game: 5 (five times)

Most passing touchdowns in a season: 41 (2013)

Most passing touchdowns in a career: 86 (2012-14)

Most passes attempted: 47 (game, 2013 Gibson Southern), 208 (2013 season), 432 (career)

Most passes completed: 24 (game, 2014 Charlestown), 208 (2013 season), 432 (career)

Most yards passing: 389 (game, 2013 North Harrison), 2,911 (2013 season), 6,016 (career)

Most yards total offense: 2,836 (2013 season), 5,805 (career)

Most all-purpose yards: 389 (game, 2013 North Harrison), 2,836 (2013 season), 5,805 (career)

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Player of the Year: BCHS senior Clay Brown

Blake Levy, Trinity Lutheran sophomore: Starting quarterback, completed 151 passes on 271 attempts for 2,030 yards with 24 TDs and 12 interceptions.

Tommy Davis, Trinity Lutheran senior: Offensive guard, defensive tackle, defensive end. Cougars and co-MVP award winner.

Spencer Newmister, Trinity Lutheran senior: Co-MVP award winner.

Caleb Reedy, Trinity Lutheran senior: Starting wide receiver. Made 45 catches for 676 yards and 10 TDs.

Paul Mellencamp, Seymour senior: Offensive and defensive line. Finished with 86 tackles.

Chris Knight, Seymour junior: Starting defensive back, finished the season with 94 total tackles and three fumble recoveries.

Zach Schlatterer, Seymour senior: Three-way starter (wide receiver/kicker/punter), made 20 catches for 394 yards and four TDs. Made 17 kicks on 20 PAT attempts. Punted 44 times for 1,432 yards.

Jacob Wilson, BCHS senior: Two-way starter (slot receiver/defensive back), all-conference. 51 rushing attempts for 667 rushing yards. Caught 30 receptions for 670 receiving yards and 21 TDs.

Noah Cotten, BCHS senior: Two-way starter (fullback/outside linebacker), all-conference, 53 rushing attempts for 270 yards and five touchdowns. Finished 2014 as Braves’ defensive point leader with nine sacks, 15 tackles for loss, second-leading tackler

Caleb Wischmeier, BCHS senior: Two-way starter (slot/defensive end), all-conference. 41 rushing attempts for 457 yards, 22 receptions for 280 yards, 10 touchdowns, 4 sacks, 5 tackles for loss.

Darrell Branaman, BCHS senior: Two-way starter (tackle/defensive tackle), all-conference

Jacob Brewer, BCHS junior: Two-way starter (guard/middle linebacker) all-conference, leading tackler, 2 sacks, 11 tackles for loss

Sam Butt, BCHS senior: Starting center past 2 years, starter some at DT, honorable mention all-conference

Mitchell Scarlett, BCHS senior: Starting wide receiver and punter, honorable mention all-conference. Had 30 receptions for 407 yards, six touchdowns. Punting stats: 20 attempts, 656 yards, 32.8 average.

Kyle Jensen, BCHS senior: Starting free safety, honorable mention all-conference, fourth-leading tackler. 16 punt returns for 205 yards

Skyller Lewis, BCHS senior: Kicker. Senior year stats: 55 of 60 pats, 4 FGs, average 43 yards on kickoffs.

Mitchell Grider, BCHS senior: Starting corner

Filippo Lippi, BCHS senior: Starting outside linebacker and played a lot at fullback. The Braves’ 3rd leading tackler, four sacks, eight tackles for loss. As a fullback: 26 attempts for 210 yards and two TDs.

Terry Anderson, BCHS senior: starting WR. Made 25 receptions for 287 yards and two TDs.

John McKinney, BCHS junior: starting corner and rotated in at slot- Corner. Made one interception and three tackles for loss. At Slot: 25 attempts for 123 yards and 2 TDs. Made 14 rec, 209 yards, 3 TDs.

Justin Donnells, BCHS junior: Starting Defensive tackle that rotated in at Fullback. Finished season with two sacks, nine tackles for loss. Running stats: 53 attempts for 314 yards and five TDs.

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