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Brandon 34, Newsome 0

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 6, 2007

BRANDON - One of them was going to do it, so Tracy Burr stepped up.

While most of Brandon's team was celebrating the Eagles' 34-0 victory over Newsome in the south end zone of E.F. McLane Stadium, the senior quarterback made his way over to a Tampa Tribune reporter, a smile dominating his face much like his team had dominated its opponent, wondering if his team had finally earned some respect.

'Is that good enough for the Top 10?' Burr asked regarding the Tribune's weekly Top 10 poll. 'Are we finally going to be in the Top 10?'

Brandon, which was the unofficial No. 11 in this week's Tribune poll, certainly made a case to break through with its performance against the Wolves, who were No. 8.

Behind the strong running of Thunder and Lightning backfield tandem Marquel Gilmore and Samir Baker, who combined for 266 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and a swarming defense that spotted the Eagles a 13-point lead before the offense took the field, Brandon (4-2) not only posted its first victory in three attempts against crosstown rival Newsome, but also jumped into the driver's seat of the Class 5A-District 7 race.

'Obviously,' Brandon coach John Lima said, 'this was big for us.'

The Eagles defense wasted little time setting the tone. On the third play of the game, Newsome quarterback Kyle Parker dropped back to pass but was hit by a blitzing Baker, who knocked the ball loose and picked it up near the goal line and jumped into the end zone to give Brandon a 7-0 lead.

Newsome (4-2) looked as though it would get away with the early mistake when freshman fullback Conner Powers took a handoff on the opening play of the Wolves' next possession and rumbled 75 yards for a score. However, the play was called back because of a penalty - the only time the Wolves were flagged in the half.

Two plays later, Parker dropped back to pass again and threw it right into the hands of Brandon linebacker Wale Agbede, who returned the interception 30 yards for another Brandon score, giving the Eagles a 13-0 lead two minutes into the game.

'I was supposed to blitz, but I saw a one-step drop, so I dropped back, too,' Agbede said. 'I caught it and went right in for the touchdown. ... Christmas early.'

The gifts kept coming for the Eagles, though the final presents were courtesy of the offense.

Brandon scored touchdowns on its first two possessions behind its running game, with Baker capping the first drive with a 21-yard touchdown run and Burr the second with a 1-yard sneak. That helped the Eagles go into halftime with a 27-0 lead.

Then, on their second possession after the break, Gilmore put the finishing touches on an impressive running attack that tallied 293 yards on the night with a 91-yard rushing touchdown that closed the game's scoring.

Baker and Gilmore each eclipsed 100 yards for the second consecutive game, with Baker leading the way with 146 yards on 11 carries, while Gilmore added 120 yards on seven carries.

'We challenged our offensive line this week. This is the best front we've seen since Armwood, and we knew they had their work cut out for them,' Lima said. 'We knew to win this game they had to come up big, and they did.'

Meantime, Newsome's vaunted rushing attack never got untracked. Powers managed only 95 yards on 23 carries, while the rest of the Wolves were limited to minus-5 yards on 19 carries. Most of that was because of the fact Brandon posted five sacks (three by Baker, two by Westly Williams).

Brandon sits atop the Class 5A-District 7 standings with a 2-0 district mark, probably needing just more district victory against either Bloomingdale or Plant City to reach the playoffs for the third consecutive year, something the Eagles have never done.

And while this win is one to savor, the Eagles are hoping it signal a new era of Brandon football.

'To be two games over .500, that's a big thing, and a three-game winning streak; we've still got to try and go undefeated in the district,' Agbede said. 'We're looking forward to Blake next week. We just can't lose focus.'

B-Agbede 30 int return (kick failed)

B-Baker 21 run (Keefe kick)

B-Burr 1 run (Keefe kick)

B-Gilmore 91 run (Keefe kick)

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