Braves fall in sectional finals

PAOLI — Brownstown Central’s football team tried valiantly, but failed to derail Paoli’s dream season on Friday night.

Using a second-half offensive surge and a debatable fumble return for a touchdown, Paoli (12-0) defeated Brownstown 21-13 in the finals of the Sectional 31 tournament.

The victory was Paoli’s first over BC since 1999 — a span of 10 straight losses. The sectional title was the Rams’ first since 1977 and capped a remarkable turnaround for the Paoli football program. Just four years ago, the Rams were 0-10.

“I thought we’d get it turned around in one year,” Paoli head coach Brian Balsmeyer said with a smile. “But there was a lot of work to do. We thought we had a class to do this. It was just a matter of time.”

Paoli advances to next week’s regional and will take on Evansville Mater Dei, a 28-7 winner over North Posey in the Sectional 32 final.

For Brownstown (8-4), Friday’s loss ended an emotional, up-and-down season — though at halftime it appeared BC was ready to see its season extended, not ended.

After struggling to move the ball for most of the first half, the Braves constructed a seven-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard Caleb Silvers touchdown run and a 7-0 BC lead going into halftime.

Unfortunately for the Braves, the second half belonged to Paoli.

On the opening possession of the third quarter, the Rams marched 65 yards in just five plays and tied the game at 7 on a 27-yard Tyler Dillard run with 9:37 on the clock.

Five minutes later, Paoli traveled 71 yards on seven plays and took the lead when quarterback Logan Laswell ran into the end zone from three yards out.

“We had a good game plan in the first half, but they did something different offensively in the second half,” BC head coach Reed May said. “Mostly it was Laswell.”

Yes, mostly it was Laswell.

The Paoli senior was the high school version of Tim Tebow on Friday night. A master of deception with the ball, Laswell kept the pigskin in his hands 32 times and gained 210 yards on the ground.

In the second half alone, Laswell punished BC for 138 rushing yards.

“Laswell is a great athlete,” May said. “He plays the option so well. We didn’t know which of them had the ball at times. He did a great job of riding the fullback through the line.”

Despite Laswell’s effectiveness, Brownstown trailed by just six points, 13-7, with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Paoli’s defense made life miserable for the Braves, however. The Rams’ defense entered Friday’s contest allowing just five points per game and held BC to its second lowest scoring output of the season.

With 59 seconds left in the third quarter, Brownstown was stopped on a fourth-and-2 play and turned the ball over on downs. With 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, BC suffered its seventh three-and-out series of the game and was forced to punt.

It was Brownstown’s next possession, however, that generated what proved to be the difference in the game. On a first-and-10 at midfield, BC quarterback Ryan Shoemaker passed to Silvers, who was hit hard as he was came down with the ball.

The ball popped out of Silvers’ hands, bounced to the ground and was picked up by Paoli linebacker Cody Baker, who galloped 51 yards for a touchdown.

Brownstown’s sideline protested, insisting the play should have been ruled an incomplete pass, but the officials were not persuaded.

“Our coaches on the press box said it was not a catch, but who knows?” May said. “It’s one of those plays that you have to watch the film to determine the right call.”

With that turnover, Paoli took a 21-7 lead with 4:26 left in the game.

As they had all season, Brownstown kept fighting. The Braves responded with an impressive 65-yard scoring drive, mostly through the air. Shoemaker found Spencer Allman on an 18-yard TD pass to narrow the score to 21-13 with 2:33 to go.

But the Braves’ remaining comeback hopes were dashed by Laswell, who picked up two key first downs on Paoli’s final drive and drained the clock.

“These kids worked their tales off,” Paoli’s Balsmeyer said. “They want to be successful. Brownstown is an outstanding program. They have great coaches, great players and a great tradition. They are where we want to be.”

If the 2009 season is any indication, the Rams may have already arrived.

For Brownstown, a team that started the season 1-2 and could have imploded, instead finished the year with a 7-2 run and an 11th straight sectional final appearance.

“This was one of our best groups of kids to coach,” May said. “We went through a lot this year. It’s been a tough year. I’m proud of our kids. They’ve overcome a lot of obstacles.”

Box Score

At Paoli
Brownstown  0  7  0  6 - 13
Paoli  0  0  13  8 - 21
Second Quarter
BC-Caleb Silvers 29 run (Steffen Lewis kick), 2:16
Third Quarter
P-Tyler Dillard 27 run (Jose Nunez kick), 9:37
P-Logan Laswell 3 run (kick blocked), 4:31
Fourth Quarter
P-Cody Baker 51 fumble return (Laswell run), 4:26
BC-Spencer Allman 18 pass from Ryan Shoemaker (kick failed), 2:33
BC  P
First Downs  9  16
Rushes-yds  36-158  52-296
Comp-Att-Yds  7-13-79  1-9-7
Total Yards  237  303
Penalties-yds  3-36  6-40
Fumbles-lost  3-2  2-1
Punts-Avg.  6-38.3  6-33.8
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Brownstown: Kelley Wagner 14-49, Silvers 7-42, Kaeler Persinger 5-30, Shoemaker 6-28, Braden Scarlett 2-7, Jordan Turpin 1-2. Paoli: Laswell 32-210, Dillard 13-71, Brian Wilson 1-11, Caleb Andry 2-8, Jacob Randolph 2-3, Tate Smith 1-(-3).
PASSING-Brownstown: Shoemaker 7-13-0 79. Paoli: Laswell 1-9-0 7.
RECEIVING-Brownstown: Allman 2-35, Persinger 3-33, Scarlett 1-7, Silvers 1-4. Paoli: Randolph 1-7.

Player of the game

Logan Laswell. Brownstown’s defense could not contain the Paoli senior quarterback, who ran 32 times for 210 yards and a touchdown. When the Braves needed a stop in the final minutes of the game, Laswell ran for two first downs that allowed Paoli to run out the clock.

Play of the game

The 51-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Paoli linebacker Cody Baker. The play proved to be the difference on the scoreboard and was questionable from Brownstown’s point of view. Baker picked up a fumble by BC’s Caleb Silvers, though Brownstown’s coaches viewed the play as an incomplete pass. The call stood and it gave Paoli enough points to claim the win.

Stat of the game

7. The number of three-and-out series for Brownstown in 11 possessions during Friday’s contest. Paoli’s defense caused the Braves fits all night. BC punter Spencer Allman, who kicked very effectively, was a busy man throughout the game.