- November 6, 2021
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The Braden River offense, led by sophomore quarterback Lucas Despot, readies for a play against Booker. (Photo by Ryan Kohn.)
Braden River junior running Trayvon Pinder dashes upfield against Booker.
Braden River junior tight end Cody Kawcak sprints alone through the Booker secondary for a touchdown after catching a pass from quarterback Lucas Despot.
Braden River players greet tight end Cody Kawcak (87) after his first quarter touchdown catch.
Booker junior running back Ahmad Hunter gets to the edge against Braden River.
Booker wide receiver junior Josiah Booker races past the Braden River secondary for a touchdown.
Booker sophomore linebacker Dajien Walton scoops up a Braden River fumble while senior Gavin Stanford (4) puts a block on Craivontae Koonce. Walton would return the fumble for a touchdown.
Booker defenders Quintin Dipina and Gavin Stanford take down Braden River running back Trayvon Pinder.
Braden River quarterback Lucas Despot throws a touchdown to tight end Cody Kawcak. The pair connected for three touchdowns on the night.
Braden River's Cody Kawcak (87) and Lucas Despot (16) celebrate after connecting for a passing touchdown.
Braden River senior running back Roy Burchett cuts upfield.
Booker senior quarterback Will Carter Jr. throws a deep pass to senior Omarion Patterson.
Booker wide receiver Omarion Patterson (6) hauls in a deep pass from Will Carter Jr.
Braden River sophomore Torry Holloman returns a kickoff against Booker.
Braden River running back Trayvon Pinder (7) plows through the Booker defense.
Braden River senior Connor Kisiah (2) lays a hit on Booker running back Ahmad Hunter.
For one half of football, the Braden River High and Booker High football teams were equals in a slugfest, each giving as good as they got.
With explosive plays galore, the teams went into halftime tied at 21. It appeared that the fireworks would continue in the second half when Booker scored on its first play of the third quarter — an 82-yard pass from senior quarterback Will Carter Jr. to senior Omarion Patterson — and Braden River responded with a long drive capped by a four yard touchdown run by junior running back Trayvon Pinder.
It turned out that the Carter-to-Patterson bomb was Booker's final blow, but Braden River landed a few more, resulting in a 42-28 win in front of a loud home crowd.
All of Booker's touchdowns came on big plays. Carter threw three touchdown passes: two to junior Josiah Booker in addition to Patterson's score. All three touchdowns were more than 50 yards. The Tornadoes also scored when sophomore linebacker Dajien Walton scooped a Braden River fumble and returned it for a touchdown. But in the second half, the explosive played died up as the Tornadoes attempted to get their running game going and were unable to put together prolonged drives.
Meanwhile, Braden River's offense hummed consistently in the hands of sophomore quarterback Lucas Despot. Despot was playing in place of junior Nick Trier, who battled a sickness throughout the week and was held out because of missed practice time. Despot completed six of his nine passes for 141 yards and three touchdowns, all to junior tight end Cody Kawcak. Pirates senior Roy Burchett and junior Trayvon Pinder acted as a strong running back tandem, rushing for 160 and 152 yards respectively. Pinder had three touchdowns.
Braden River Head Coach Curt Bradley took the blame for Booker's early passing explosion and credited his defensive staff for making the necessary adjustments in the second half.
“We weren’t ready to play (at the start) tonight," Bradley said. "It’s not typically how we play. We don’t usually give up a lot of big plays. I’ll take that one. We’ve got to get our guys ready to play in practice."
Bradley was also complimentary of Despot's performance, stepping into an unexpected situation and doing what was asked of him.
Booker Head Coach Scottie Littles was pleased with how his team threw the ball and in retrospect was disappointed that the team leaned heavier on the running game in the second half. He was also disappointed by his team's ability to cover Kawcak over the middle. But Littles remains confident in his team's talent and capacity to get better.
"I'd hate to play us in week eight, week nine," Littles said. "I'd hate to see us (on the schedule) when we finally figure it out.
"It’s growing pains. It’s learning moments. The future is bright."