Young secondary gives senior lineman chance to win game for CCHS
Published 3:20 pm Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Two carries, two touchdowns.
Chase Brown might have some tips for Chilton County’s other backs.
No, Brown, a full-time defensive lineman and part-time offensive lineman, won’t be mistaken for speedy Chilton County running backs Michael Seaton and Richard Hilliard, but his effectiveness the past two weeks speaks for itself.
Brown, at 250 pounds, has been used as a blocking back when the Tigers go to a heavy formation in short yardage situations. Coaches decided the past two weeks to give Brown the ball, and he responded.
“All year, all he’s been doing is blocking,” CCHS coach Donnie Hand said. “We’ve been working on giving teams a different look. It’s like they were shocked he got it.
“I think he was more excited to be able to do it on Senior Night.”
The senior’s scoring run on 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line with about 7 minutes left to play in last week’s game against Tuscaloosa Central turned out to be the game winner—after Anthony Chavez added the extra point for a 7-6 victory—but Chilton County’s turnaround from a five-game losing streak to begin the season to winners of three of their last four has been more about the progression of a young secondary.
For two consecutive games, both wins, Chilton hasn’t allowed a single first down in the second half.
“A little bit of it might be halftime adjustments, but the other part is just young guys figuring out what we want to do,” Hand said. “Probably the main thing they’re doing is they’re lining up right.”
The CCHS defensive backfield starters are all underclassmen. Safeties Myric Good and Braylan Parker, and cornerback Kevin Lucas are all sophomores; and cornerback Keandre Binion is a freshman.
In last week’s game, the ‘D’ kept CCHS in the game until Brown finally punched it in.
The Tigers did not qualify for the playoffs, so Hand has been telling his team that the remaining games are their playoff games. There’s only one left: Friday night’s visit to Shelby County.
Every team wants to make the playoffs, but Hand pointed out that of those that do compete in the postseason, only one, the state champion, ends its season with a win. Chilton, meanwhile, has a chance to build even more momentum for the offseason and the 2012 campaign by winning four out of its last five games.
After handing the ball off to a lineman, might there be more surprises up Hand’s sleeve?
“All the other offensive linemen came to me and said they wanted to score,” Hand said.