Brandon’s football team does not have a playoff berth to look forward to at the end of this season.
However, the Blackhawks showed their mettle in the face of adversity Oct. 15, as Brandon came from behind to earn a 21-20 win against visiting Fenton. The Blackhawks improved their season record to 3-5 and their Flint Metro League record to 2-4.
Senior quarterback Andrew Burch led the Blackhawks? charge with three touchdown passes, two in the fourth quarter to spark the Brandon comeback.
‘Our defense really stepped up,? Brandon coach Ron Gill said. ‘The kids overcame a lot with the bad weather. It would have been easy for them to fold, but they didn’t.?
The Blackhawks had to play without starting wide receivers Nick Toreli and Ryan Smith, who were injured in the Lapeer West game. However, Gill said receivers Gary Muzzarelli, Chuck Sherman and Jason Ledgerwood stepped up against Fenton.
Burch threw his first touchdown pass in the second quarter when he hit Ledgerwood on a 20-yard scoring strike, leaving the Blackhawks trailing the Tigers 7-6 at the half.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Fenton led Brandon 13-6, and increased their lead to 20-6 with seven minutes remaining.
However, Burch hit Derek Foyt for a seven-yard touchdown pass and Muzzarelli for a 10-yard scoring strike to spark the Blackhawks to the comeback victory.
Foyt led the Blackhawks? rushing attack with 136 yards on 22 carries, and Darryl Goodrich added 72 yards on eight carries.
Defensively, Marcus Pesavento led the team with nine tackles and one sack.
The Blackhawks faced a tough challenge in their season finale Oct. 22 against highly regarded Montrose. Gill said the Rams will be a tough obstacle for the Blackhawks to overcome, but he said the team is up to the task.
‘They have three Flint transfers that are being recruited by Big Ten teams,? Gill said of Montrose. ‘They’re very explosive and have a great tradition. We’ll need to have people continue to make big plays. It will take our best effort and I expect nothing less from our kids.?