Saturday, 11/23/02   |   Middle Tennessee News &Information

Bruins finally arrive at semis

By BRYAN MULLEN
Staff Writer

BRENTWOOD - It came down to the end.

But for Brentwood High this morning, it's the start of a new beginning.

The Bruins advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in school history 
last night, defeating visiting Franklin 19-14 in a thriller that wasn't decided until 
the final seconds.

" We need to win just one more before we get to the big one, " said Brentwood Coach 
Ron Crawford, whose team tied the school's best all-time record at 12-1. " But I have to 
make my players understand how big this one was. "

Brentwood will travel to Germantown on Friday for a Class 5A semifinal matchup, but forgive 
the Bruins if they take a day or two to bask in last night's classic.

Leading throughout the entire contest, Brentwood found itself needing a late stop to preserve 
a thin lead. Franklin began its final drive with 6:03 remaining, and traveled 61 yards to the 
Brentwood 20 before facing a third-and-5 play. Rebels quarterback Josh Reffegee gunned a 
pass to the goal line, but it was picked out of the air by Brentwood's Luke Steckel with 23 
seconds remaining to thwart the Rebels' final hope.

" We ran Luke deep to the middle and played soft coverage, " Crawford said. " We made a 
good decision and executed it well. "

An equally impressive display of execution came from the foot of Brentwood kicker 
Kyle Willis.  The junior nailed two field goals in the second half, accounting for the 
Bruins only points in the third and fourth quarters, to help keep Franklin at bay.

Willis' first boot, a 32-yarder to give Brentwood a 16-7 lead, proved to be huge 
considering Franklin (11-2) needed only six plays on its next possession to get into 
the end zone.  Reffegee found the elusive Kevyn Murray for a 17-yard touchdown 
pass as the Rebels inched closer, narrowing the Brentwood lead to 16-14.

Willis nailed his next field goal attempt from 36 yards out with 3:42 remaining in 
the third to give his team a 19-14 lead, forcing Franklin to have to get into the end 
zone and not rely on a game-winning field goal.  As it turned out, Franklin's final 
drive ended deep in Brentwood territory, well within field goal range, but the Rebels 
had to attempt a potential touchdown toss, an attempt that would fall into Steckel's 
game-saving hands.

" I'm pretty laid back, so I try to stay off to the side and not get too involved in the 
game, " Willis said. " I don't even watch the kicks. I'm looking at my holder after I 
follow through to see if it was good. "

Willis liked what he saw.

Despite the clutch win, crowds from both sides were amazed by the performance by Franklin's 
Murray. The junior finished with 189 yards and two touchdowns on 13 catches.

" We knew he was good, " Crawford said. " We didn't know he was that good. "

Brentwood dominated much of the first half, utilizing a bruising running game spurred by the 
physical play of the Bruins' offensive line. On its second drive from scrimmage, Brentwood 
marched 55 yards in 3:21 before pulling out a dazzling play for the game's first score. After 
running the ball on six of their first seven plays of the drive, quarterback Austen Everson faked 
handouts to two different backs, outwitting the Franklin defense and most of the crowd, before 
finding a wide-open David Reed in the end zone for an 8-yard score.

The play worked so well that Everson had his pick of two receivers standing in the end zone by 
themselves before lobbing the ball to Reed.

As the Rebels continued to struggle on offense, Brentwood continued to click. After forcing the 
Rebels to punt midway through the second quarter, ending a drive that featured a third-and-40 
play, Brentwood received good field position and looked poised to add to its lead.

And that's exactly what they did, although it came a bit sooner than the Bruins fans expected.

On the fourth play of the Bruins ensuing drive, Jared Fugate took a handoff and ran straight 
through the Franklin defense. Seconds later, Fugate had himself a 56-yard touchdown run, but 
a muffed snap on the extra point attempt kept the score 13-0.

Franklin's chances to get on the board didn't look good as the first half neared the end. But the 
Rebels showed impressive resolve, driving 63 yards in 1:39 before Reffegee found Murray for 
a 2-yard touchdown pass just seven ticks before the break.



Bryan Mullen covers high school sports for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 726-8947 or bmullen@tennessean.com.