BROWNSTOWN

Take full advantage of the opportunity at hand and leave — win or lose — knowing everything was left on the field.

Create memories for a lifetime and make history along the way.

That was the message members of the 2004 and 2008 semistate Brownstown Central football teams relayed to the 2016 squad.

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On Wednesday, at the pep rally in the auditorium in preparation for tonight’s semistate game at Lawrenceburg, Teddy Stucker, Corey Zaring and Chandler Lambring told stories to the players, coaches and fans of their experiences in semistate.

Stucker, a member of the 2008 Braves team, recalled beating Southridge in miserable conditions to set up a bout with Heritage Christian.

“We beat Southridge (26-6) in a tsunami and went on to play Heritage Christian,” Stucker said. “There’s no greater feeling than winning regional and going on to semistate. It means a lot.”

Brownstown Central lost to Heritage Christian that season 24-16.

“Don’t ever take a play off,” Stucker said. “You never know when it’s going to be your last play. These are memories that will last you a lifetime. You need to really cherish what you’ve accomplished. You (players) have the opportunity to accomplish something that no other team has done before. It’s pretty special.”

Zaring and Lambring were both a part of the 2004 team that claimed the school’s first regional.

That season, Brownstown beat Southridge 31-27 before falling to Tri-West (Hendricks) 55-28.

While Zaring talked about how special it was to win regional, he also discussed the following season’s agony of defeat.

“The year after we won regional for the first time, we were in the sectional final (against Lawrenceburg) and we were up 24-0 with 5:24 left,” Zaring said. “Somehow, we ended up losing that (30-24). It’s about making the most of your opportunity. You are the third team to win, but you’re not done. Now, you have the chance to do something that nobody has done.”

Zaring said the team has lots of support behind it, and the tradition extends beyond Jackson County’s borders.

“We’ve won tons of games over the past 20-plus years,” he said. “Everyone knows Brownstown’s tradition. You have the entire community’s support. Enjoy absolutely every single second of it. This doesn’t happen often. It’s a pretty special experience. Enjoy the moment, have fun and kick some butt (tonight).”

Lambring, the team’s quarterback in 2004, pumped the crowd up by saying how history can be made.

“This is something no team has done. Take advantage of it, and leave it all on the line,” he said. “When that game is over (tonight) — win or lose — look back and know that you had nothing left to give.

“Coach (Reed) May has you prepared. Go out and do your job. When you get to this point in the tournament, every team you play is pretty good. But you guys are pretty darn good, too. You’re all super competitive. I’ve watched a lot of you guys grow up. You have the opportunity to be the best team that Brownstown has ever had. Don’t be satisfied with just being there.”

Tonight’s game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Neary Field.