By Robert Wilson
Fourth-year Brandon coach Sam Williams has gotten his Bulldogs close to the first state football championship in school history, two state runner-up finishes and last year’s state semifinal appearance.
With a combination of experienced seniors and a group of Division I level talented underclassmen, this may be Brandon’s year.
You wouldn’t get an argument from Madison Central coach Toby Collums about Brandon’s chances after Friday night.
Brandon’s stingy defense – led by senior linebacker Khalil Norwood and SEC level talent like junior defensive back Preston Ashley and junior defensive lineman Ayden Newell – limited Madison Central to only 90 total yards the Bulldogs defeated Madison Central 21-7 in a Metro Jackson MHSAA Class 7A defensive battle before 5,500 at Brandon’s Bulldog Field.
Brandon improved to 2-0. Madison Central dropped to 1-1.
Brandon, which allowed 34 points in a win over Class 6A Picayune last week, was impressive defensively against Madison Central. The Jaguars didn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter.
“The defense played unbelievably,” Williams said. “Our defensive line had a great game with (6-foot, 245-pound senior) London Dullin and (6-3, 220-pound junior) Cam Williams really standing out. At the second level, all of our linebackers played well. The trio of secondary guys – Ashley, (junior) Lahere (Bolls) and (sophomore) Trey (McQueen) – were great. They didn’t allow any chunk plays and make sure the ball stayed underneath.”
“I was extremely proud of the effort and enthusiasm all the guys played with,” Brandon defensive coordinator Greg Robinson said. “We ran to the ball extremely well and that is something we preach every day. Run to the ball and good things will happen. Coach (Nelson) Adams was able to rotate 10 defensive linemen and I never felt like we had a fall off. That was huge. London Bullen had a very good game. I’m proud of him and the way he has come back after suffering a season ending injury last year. Ayden Newell had his first impact game on the defensive side and that was big for us. Cam Williams had a good game on the defensive line. (Seniors) Clinton Jobe and Rylan Nickleberry played well at outside linebacker. We ask a lot out of those guys, and they never flinch. They just say, ‘yes sir,’ and go to work and get the job done. Inside linebacker Khalil Norwood had another good game and was all over the field. (Junior) Ashton Moore is new to the program (from Georgia) and we moved him inside for this game. He responded to the challenge and played well. Preston Ashley and Lahare Bolls and ball hawk Trey McQueen played very good on the back end. (Senior defensive back) Jam Rollins was ready every time his number was called and went in and did great. It was a great team effort and team win. I love watching these guys play.”
While Brandon’s defense was slowing down Madison Central, sophomore running back Tyson Robinson scored three TDs. He scored on a 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 5 minutes, 32 seconds to play in the first quarter. After a bad snap on a punt resulted in Brandon taking over at the Madison Central 8, Robinson scored on another 2-yard run for a 14-0 lead. He scored his third TD on a 1-yard run for a 21-0 lead with 47 seconds to play in the third quarter.
Robinson – who has already Division I offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Washington, Oregon, Florida State, Central Florida and Baylor – had 39 yards on 22 carries.
“Our offense played physical all night,” Williams said. “It was a great team win. It wasn’t always pretty, but we found a way to play physical and play for four quarters. I was really proud of the effort and intensity that our bunch played with, and we played like a team that wasn’t going to be denied a win.”
Senior running back Glen Singleton scored on a 7-yard run for Madison Central with 10:06 to play in the game.
Brandon limited Singleton, who had 174 rushing yards and four TDs in last week’s 27-20 win at Ocean Springs, to only 29 yards on nine carries.
Norwood – a member of the Performance Therapy/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team and nephew of former high school All-American at Brandon, All-SEC running back at Mississippi State and NFL player Jerious Norwood – led Brandon with 15 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack and 4 quarterback hurries. Moore and Bolls had 11 tackles and 2 pass breakups each. Nickleberry had 10 tackles. McQueen had an interception.
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