By Matt Latham

The Brewer Patriots overcame a penalty plagued night to get the 34-12 victory over the Arab Knights.  The win moves the Patriots to 2-0 for the season and 1-0 in 5A Region 8.  Jonathan Morgan led the way with great defense and a big night on the ground for the Patriots. The Brewer running back had 198 yards on 20 carries and scored 1 of the 5 Patriots touchdowns. 

The Patriots took a 7-0 lead with 5:12 left in the first quarter on an 11 play, 51-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Johnson to Isaac Childs.  Brewer’s next possession came after linebacker, Levi Rice, had his first fumble recovery of the night.  The Patriots scored seven plays later on a 22-yard touchdown run by Orlando Tee Whatley that increased the lead to 14-0 with 11:52 remaining in the second quarter.  Another fumble recovery by Levi Rice began the Patriots third touchdown drive of the first half.  After an Arab turnover, it only took six plays for Patrick Johnson to connect with Kris Bramlett for a 31-yard touchdown pass, giving the Patriots a comfortable 21-0 halftime lead.

The Knights began the second half with a successful onside kick that led to their first score of the evening.  After recovering the onside kick, the Arab Knights completed a 51-yard drive with the help of 45-yards in Brewer penalties.  The Knights scored on a three-yard touchdown pass from Ross Reynolds to Will Hudson.  The point after touchdown failed, making the score 21-6, Brewer. 

Arab quickly answered on the one big play that the Patriot defense allowed all night.  On the first play from scrimmage after the Patriot kickoff, Arab’s Tyler Allredge scored on a 61-yard completion from Ross Reynolds.  The two-point conversion failed making the score 28-12.  The final touchdown of the night was set up by Brewer’s Kris Bramlett after an interception on the Arab goal line that returned 67-yards to the Patriot 33-yard line.  The Patriots offensive tackle, Hunter Youngblood, ended the scoring for the night by being at the right place at the right time when he recovered a Brewer fumble in the endzone for the final touchdown.  The point after touchdown failed, making the final score 34-12. 

The Patriots will play their first home game of the season Friday night as they host the Madison Academy Mustangs in a 5A Region 8 contest.