As Brownwood attempts to go 5-0 to start the 2023 season while playing host to 3-1 Waco Connally at 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Gordon Wood Stadium, there’s a pretty good chance the most important Lion on the field won’t carry or catch the ball — or, even, make a single tackle.

If past is prologue, Junior Martinez looms as one of Brownwood’s premier weapons, and his presence Friday could help determine if the Lions’ next-to-last tune-up before District 2-4A Division I play begins goes the direction of its four predecessors. In wins over Wylie, Marble Falls, Burnet and Glen Rose, Brownwood has scored 168 points, 33 of which have come via PAT conversions or field goals by the celebrated senior kicker.

This year alone, Martinez has converted each of 21 point-after kicks and made four of five field goal tries, including a 52-yarder. His loan miss came from 44 yards out and was pushed just wide by a swirling wind.

But that’s not all Martinez has done to buoy Brownwood’s hopes for a long season this year. He also has averaged 40.3 yards per punt on 12 kicks, with a season-long boot of 52 yards and another punt that pinned the opponent inside the 5-yard line. And, even at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, he has the leg to routinely turn his kickoffs into touchbacks.

BROWNWOOD —Perhaps no one player in entire Big Country has more on his plate coming into the 2023 season than Brownwood senior quarterback Ike Hall. 

As the Lions’ only returning offensive starter, Hall will not only be tasked with helping a completely rebuilt offense to jell, but he’ll be heavily leaned on for yardage production and vocal leadership. 

“You want to hold the reins back on Ike, because you want him to be available for district,” Brownwood coach Sammy Burnett said. “But it’s hard to hold an athlete like him back. When plays break down, we’re asking him to become an athlete.” 

BROWNWOOD — With only offensive starter returning from last season, the one player Brownwood coach Sammy Burnet would hope to have back would be quarterback Ike Hall. 

As luck would have it, that is precisely who will return in 2023 to run the Lions’ pistol attack — surrounded by a combo of fresh faces and older players who didn’t start offensively a year ago.  

Nonetheless there is plenty of reason for optimism in the Brownwood camp, with nine defensive starters, 17 lettermen and of course, Hall returning from last year’s 10-3 club. The Lions will also have several players from last year’s 9-1 JV squad promoted to add extra depth to what is expected to be a 40-man roster.

Football is just around the corner, and we at BigCountryPreps.com are committed to bringing you the information you need to prepare for your favorite team’s season.

We’ll be releasing our Big Country Preps Preseason Football Preview, the most comprehensive look at the upcoming Big Country football season anywhere, on Wednesday, Aug. 16. But you won’t have to wait until then to sate your gridiron appetite.

Leading up to the first day of fall football practice on July 31, we’ll be spotlighting each 11-man team in the area and posing some of the key questions they’ll face in 2023 as part of our annual “Countdown to Two-a-Days” series.

We continue in Class 4A Division I with the Brownwood Lions. On Thursday we will take a look at the Stephenville Yellow Jackets, followed by the Wylie Bulldogs on Friday.

Continue reading “COUNTDOWN TO TWO-A-DAYS: The Brownwood Lions … five days to two-a days” →

ABILENE – The Wichita Falls Coyotes ran the football on the Brownwood Lions like no other team this season during Friday night’s rain-soaked Class 4A Division I regional semifinal game. As a result, the heavily favored Lions’ season ended with a 41-19 loss to the upstart Coyotes at Wildcat Stadium.

Cameron Gould, a two-way ironman at linebacker and running back, rushed for 158 yards and five touchdowns as the Coyotes, who were 3-3 at one point this season, improved to 9-4 and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2013. Wichita Falls will face District 4-4A DI rival Decatur for the Region I championship at 7 p.m. next Friday, Dec. 2, at Collins Stadium in Denton.

MIDLAND — With sub-freezing temperatures, a strong wind and a misty rain falling, conditions for Friday’s Region I-4A area round game between Brownwood and Canyon didn’t promise much for the highlight reel. 

By the end of the evening, however, Brownwood had combined a handful of big offensive plays with a smothering defensive effort to eliminate injury-plagued Canyon 31-10. 

Konlyn Anderson rushed for 113 yards and two scores and Ike Hall rushed for 102 more and two more TDs to lead Brownwood (10-2), which advances to face Wichita Falls High at 7 p.m. on Friday at Abilene Christian University. 

Canyon, which was forced into using multiple reserve quarterbacks in a variety of rolls due to injuries to its top two signal callers, finished the season at 10-2. The Eagles were led by Noah Sanchez, who threw for 119 yards and one score.