Western Brown’s Logan Campbell stiff-arms a Jackson defender.
Photo/Garth Shanklin
Drew Novak threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in the Broncos’ 35-28 win over Jackson.
Photo/Garth Shanklin
Less than five minutes into the game, the chants from the Jackson student section started.
‘O-ver-rat-ed’
By the time the final horn blew, nary a peep could be heard from the Ironman faithful over the celebration on the Western Brown sideline.
The Broncos took down the Ironman for a second time this season, emerging from a back-and-forth game with a 35-28 win.
In doing so, the team earned a trip to the regional final for the first time in school history. They are one of eight teams remaining in Division III.
“It feels really good,” Head coach Nick Osborne said. “Being an alum, coming back home and getting us to the regional finals…It shows you the character of the kids we have. They’re blue-collar kids, they wake up whenever we ask them and come to work.”
Jackson took an early 7-0 lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Winters to Brodie Butcher.
Western Brown marched back down the field, converting on fourth and 13, but an interception ended the drive.
The Broncos’ defense stood tall, forcing a punt. Western Brown went right back down the field and tied the game at seven on a three-yard run by Drew Novak.
In the second quarter, Winters and Bucher connected again for a score, this time from 14 yards out. The Ironmen led 14-7 with 9:31 left in the half.
Again, the Broncos had an answer. Zachery Chisman capped off a drive with a six-yard score, tying the game at 14.
The Ironmen appeared to have regained the lead on a 55-yard touchdown run, but a block in the back brought the ball back to the Broncos’ 23. Four plays later, an incomplete pass ended the drive.
Western Brown took advantage of the turnover on downs, matriculating down the field and finding paydirt on a two-yard run by Novak.
Jackson responded quickly on a 53-yard pass from Winters to Tristan Prater. The game was tied at 28 entering halftime.
Nobody scored in the third quarter. The Broncos took a 28-21 lead on a pass from Novak to a leaping Dylan Novak for a 24-yard score.
“That was beautiful,” Osborne said. “Dylan did a great job going up and getting it. We’ve been on Dylan about, you know, ‘You’re 6-foot-4, go up and get it. High point it.’ Just really happy for those kids.”
After a Jackson touchdown run by Eli Broermann, Novak connected with Logan Campbell for a 21-yard score that proved to be the winning points.
It wasn’t a flawless night for the Western Brown offense, but they did enough to pick up the win, the program’s 11th of the season.
“We struggled at times,” Osborne said. “Big players make big plays in big games. I didn’t think we looked very good, but we made the plays we had to. We’re going to clean that up next week.”
Defensively, the Broncos struggled with the run early. Winters had several lengthy runs, including the touchdown that was wiped out.
“We didn’t stop the quarterback power, but we were able to do a better job in the second half,” Osborne said. “We made some adjustments and were able to contain him better.”
The defense sealed the win late in the fourth quarter. After the Broncos scored, Jackson got the ball back with about 90 seconds and two timeouts left. Western Brown forced and recovered a fumble, allowing the offense to drain most of the remaining clock.
“[That] was huge,” Osborne said. “Our defense has really stepped up since giving up 66 against Monroe. We’re playing with that chip on our shoulder, trying to earn the respect of everybody.”
The offense grabs headlines, but solid performances from the defense and the offensive line keyed the Western Brown victory.
“The offensive line played their tails off,” Osborne said. “I think that was one of the best games they’ve played all year. It starts up front with the hogs. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have won that game tonight.”
Before the game, the Broncos were sent off in style and have received an outpouring of community support this postseason. Osborne is thankful for that.
“That was awesome,” Osborne said. “I think the whole community was here. That was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard it. Hopefully, we can pack the crowd again next week.”
Western Brown is slated to face Granville, the top-ranked team in Division III, Region 11, for a regional championship on Friday, November 19. The location for that game has not been determined as of this writing.
Granville defeated No. 4 London 15-14 and currently sports a 12-0 record this season.
