Buchanan rolls rival Brandywine 48-8

Published 9:31 am Saturday, September 28, 2024

By Max Harden

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NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP — The 65th matchup between rivals Brandywine and Buchanan took place Friday night and the visiting Bucks came out on top.

The Bucks used their ground game to grind out a 48-8 win at Brandywine. The Bucks hold a 38-27 record in the rivalry series.

Backup quarterback Lucas Zeiger stepped up to guide the offense in place of Jake Franklin, who did not play due to injury. Zeiger completed 1 of 3 passes for 36 yards and helped the team amass 272 rushing yards. Buchanan outgained Brandywine 308-172 in total yards, including a 272-172 edge in rushing.

“We are proud of our guys,” said Buchanan Coach Mark Frey. “We faced some adversity with our first and second string QBs unable to play, but we overcame that and saw a solid performance out of the backfield. QB Luke Zeiger managed a solid game while Leland Payne and Gabe Tompkins ran very well. Defensively, we played well. Brandywine runs a tough offense but our kids played hard and we were happy with the outcome.”

Trailing 15-0 in the second quarter, Brandywine responded with a eight-yard Kaden Santana touchdown run. A Carter Sobecki two-point conversion cut the deficit to 15-8 in the second quarter. The Bucks would reel off 33-consecutive points as the physical game took its toll on the Bobcats, who lost five players in the game to injuries.

“It’s a miracle our kids could finish,” said Brandywine Head Coach Justin Kinzie. “I’m proud of the kids for fighting.”

Kinzie said that several players on his team also play for the school’s soccer team. He is also in the process of building a Bobcats program from the ground up as the Brandywine enjoys its second year of a youth football program.

“A lot of those soccer players have done a nice job,” he said. “You can see flashes and see how far they’ve come in five weeks.”

While the season is not playing out as the team had hoped, Kinzie said he is proud of way his seniors have led the team amid its struggles.

“A lot of other kids walked away right now,” he said. “I think my senior leadership has been tremendous. Without them, this team would have collapsed.”

Buchanan (3-2, 2-0) hosts Berrien Springs at 7 p.m. Friday and Brandywine (0-5,0-2) travels to face Dowagiac at 7 p.m.

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