The Pack is back: Seniors led Brooke's revival
Sunday, December 6, 2009
By MIKE MATHISON- The Herald Star
From 17 and 1-6 to seven and 13-1.
"We found an old yearbook this week and there were 17 freshman football players in this (senior) class and we finished with seven," said first-year Brooke football coach Tom Bruney. "Those are the seven who were gritty enough to ride it out and go through some bad seasons, still stuck it out, went through a coaching.
"Those seven are here because they were bound and determined to try to leave a legacy and what a legacy they've left. They went on a 13-game win streak, they are state runner-ups.
"When they were freshmen they went 1-6 and the only game they won was 2-0 over Edison. They went from freshman year to seniors playing in the state championship game.
"I just think it says a lot for that senior class who stuck around."
"The seniors talked about how good it would be to go out with a winning season," said senior Mike Koscevic. "This has been a great experience. It's been a great ride and I'm glad I was a part of it."
The Bruins had their 13-game winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon at Wheeling Island Stadium as South Charleston claimed its second straight West Virginia Class AAA state title with a 28-7 victory.
It was Brooke's first state championship appearance since a 36-7 loss to DuPont in 1992. That game ended a streak in which the Bruins were in the title game six times in eight years.
"The expectations that the team set this year that have really put the bar in a place where everybody knows what it is we have to do to get back here next year," said Bruney.
After the customary post-game handshakes and awards ceremony, Brooke congregated in an end zone for a short meeting.
"Get your heads up," the coach said to his team. "The sun will come up tomorrow."
He talked to the team about their season and how they just raised the expectations for the 2010 season.
"There were tears in their eyes," he said after the meeting. "This is the first time we've experienced a loss this year. I don't know that they really knew how to handle it. I hope they were crying because the season is over, not because we lost the game because there were too many good things that happened this year and we have a nice run.
"Why dwell on the one loss when you have a lot of things you could be celebrating."
South Charleston was easily the best team Brooke had seen.
Pierria Henry intercepted Cotey Wallace's first pass of the game and returned it 44 yards and then took a short pass and 86 yards and some bad tackling later it was 14-0 Black Eagles with 7:16 left in the first quarter.
"They were just bigger and quicker," said Brooke senior lineman Jake Lilly. "They are a very good team. They are very athletic and they are the better team as they showed today."
After a nine-year run in which either Parkersburg or Morgantown won the Class AAA crown, South Charleston now has two wins in a row and, like Brooke, only loses seven seniors.
"They came out and punched us in the mouth," said Lilly. "That has happened to us before, but we just tried to get our offense back into rhythm and it didn't happen."
After the 14-0 lead, Brooke scored its lone touchdown when junior Ryan Lazear capped a 75-yard drive with an 8-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.
South Charleston, though, scored right away for a 21-7 lead it took into intermission.
"They have a lot of good athletes," said Lilly.
The Bruins were coming off a 3-7 season and dealt with a coaching change.
"It's amazing being able to play 14 games," said Lilly. "I never thought we would be able to do that after everything that has happened.
"After we won the Parkersburg game (43-42 in the first game of the season) I knew we were going to have a good season. I never really imagined we would be playing in the championship game.
"Hopefully the younger players can come back and finish where we left off and next year they can get the state championship.
"I'm grateful to have this season and to be able to play in this game. This is an amazing feeling."
