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Prep Confidential

Off and running

Posted by: Marcus Jackson

Saturday, August 30, 2008 12:56 AM

After posting ridiculous numbers as a junior, Mahomet-Seymour running back Andrew Brewer knows he's going to be the focus of every team's defensive game plan

Bring it on, he says.

Brewer helped usher in the Keith Pogue era with a 336-yard performance in the Bulldogs' 34-20 win against Rochester in front of a packed house Friday in Mahomet.

Brewer ran for 261 yards and added another 75 receiving to go along with his four total touchdowns.

He's not a bad free safety either. He made the initail hit a crucial 4th and 1 in the third quarter and had Rockets receiver scared to come across the middle after laying the wood to a couple of their guys early in the game.

Once junior quarterback Dylan Howard gets more comfortable running the offense and handles the exchange from center more efficiently, the Bulldogs might send their new coach to the playoffs in his first season.

— Always fun to catch a game in Mahomet. Aside from the late start (Friday's contest kicked off shortly after 8 p.m.) the atmposphere is always electric. The Dawgapalooza festival complete with inflatables, games and food was going on prior to the game and people in orange and blue were everywhere.

— The marching band entertained at halftime and the overflow crowd is always into the game and very knowledgeable.

— If Joe Rock, Bob Schroeder, Clayton Quinlan and Brannan Kwiatkowski keep playing as well as they did Friday on the defensive side of the ball, those Bulldog fans will have something to cheer about well into November.

— So far, so good for new Tuscola coach Rick Reinhart. Reinhart, who took over for the Stan Wienke in the offseason unveiled his new look Warriors with a 40-6 romp of Sullivan/Okaw Valley.

— Quarterback Caleb Little connected for a pair of touchdown scores, but Tuscola's new Wing-T offense might catch more than a few opponents off guard this season.

Next week's matchup with Unity should be a dandy as the two powerhouse programs and rivals go at it for the second straight season as members of the Okaw Valley Conference. Get to Tuscola early to get a good seat — the place is going to be jam-packed.

— Congratulations to East Central coach Jamal Maatuka for earning his first win as a head coach. East Central won 29-14 Friday over Hoopeston Area. Maatuka's Panthers went 0-9 in his inaugural season with the Heritage-Shiloh co-op, but year two is off to a positive start.

— St. Thomas More made a statement in its 43-0 win against Bismarck-Henning. Tyler Sullivan, Kristian Gallivan and Co. are primed to make a move and solidify the Sabers as one of the teams to beat in the Sangamon Valley.

— Wasn't sure what to think of St. Joseph-Ogden after losing so much production from last year's 11-1 squad, but the 40-14 pounding of Robinson shows the Spartans might still be a force to be reckoned with. They did a lot of damage on the defensive side of the ball and that matchup with Stillman Valley next week will be a good one.

— If you haven't seen him play, make sure at some point to check out Fisher's Colten Unzicker. The kid is a fantastic athlete and is a four-year starter at running back for Matt Leng's Bunnies. His 369 yards of total offense and five touchdowns is just the beginning of what he hopes to be a special senior season.

All around there was some good action in the opening week. I'm just glad it didn't pour the entire night like it did in last year's opening week.

Be sure to check out our section this week. We'll have all the prep football coverage you could want and we'll preview next week's slate of games.

mjackson@news-gazette.com