A Bruin Blowout

Broadneck Football Beats Parkville, Advances To State Quarterfinals

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The Broadneck Bruins varsity football team is looking ahead to their state quarterfinal game next weekend after a 45-0 win Friday evening in their MPSSAA playoff game against the Parkville Knights.

In the opening drive, Broadneck stormed down the field with the help of two defensive encroachment penalties. Senior quarterback Josh Ehrlich found senior wide receiver Nate Levicki wide open to put Broadneck up 7-0 three minutes into the game.

“We jumped on them from the beginning. We knew we had to come in here and take care of business, and we did so,” Ehrlich said.

Less than a minute after scoring, Broadneck recovered a Parkville fumble at the Knights’ 28-yard line. Broadneck did not capitalize, however, as the Knights intercepted a pass at their own 5-yard line. Broadneck’s defense eventually forced Parkville to punt.

Broadneck picked up momentum after the first quarter. Three and a half minutes into the second quarter, the Bruins kicked a field goal from the Knights’ 10-yard line after a short run and two incomplete passes intended for sophomore wide receiver Eli Harris.

Broadneck scored 14 more points before the first half ended. Ehrlich connected with senior wide receiver Kyle Pierce for a touchdown with about five minutes to go. Broadneck quickly regained possession after the kickoff, and Ehrlich made a short throw to senior running back Davion White, who picked up more than 40 yards on his way to a touchdown.

The Knights got the ball with less than two minutes on the clock. Junior quarterback Kamoree Woodson found senior running back Cortez Williams on a pass to Broadneck’s 33-yard line, but the half ended without the Knights running another play.

In the second half, Broadneck continued to dominate. Midway through the third quarter, Ehrlich found junior wide receiver Machi Evans for a touchdown. Davion White later scored his second touchdown of the night with about three minutes remaining in the third quarter, bringing the score to 38-0.

The Bruins added their final score with about five minutes left in the game. Broadneck senior outside linebacker Daelin Brooks recovered a Knights fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The defensive touchdown was symbolic of the Bruins’ resilient and impenetrable defense. Seniors Brody Friedman and Dominik Downs were among several players who made key stops throughout the evening.

Friedman described how his “two tackles for a loss … put [the team] in a great position for some fourth downs.”

This big win came after Broadneck had three weeks without games.

“We were a little rusty, but after we scored once or twice and the defense got moving, we were efficient,” Levicki said.

The Knights were mentally prepared for the skilled and gritty Bruins team, but it was not enough.

“We knew what we were going to be faced with, but it’s football. You come to play and you come to play to win,” Parkville head coach Justin Payne said.

Despite the outcome, Payne was proud of his players — especially after the team lost 21 starters from the previous year. “They played as hard as they could and they didn’t give up. That’s the most important thing for a program that’s rebuilding.”

Payne plans to use the loss as motivation for future seasons.

Broadneck head coach Rob Harris wants to use the win to continue fueling his team’s energy, but he also recognizes that “each week is going to get progressively harder.”

“We were supposed to win this game,” White said. “Next week, we’re not supposed to win. That’s what everyone is saying, so this is just to show everybody that we are a competitive team and we can play with the best.”

The state quarterfinals will be played November 19-20. Specific game times have not been announced as of Saturday morning.

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