BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College football team (0-3) dropped a hard-fought matchup to Averett University (3-0), 17-14, in BC's non-conference finale on Saturday evening under the lights at Ives-Lemel Family Field.
Trailing by 10 points, 17-7, at the halftime intermission, the Tornados got a critical stop on fourth-and-goal and then proceeded to drive down the field with an 11-play, 99-yard drive to cut the deficit to a three-point margin, 17-14, with one quarter left to play. However, Averett held Brevard off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, forcing a punt and two turnovers-on-downs in a scoreless fourth period for both sides to cling to a three-point road victory.
Senior running back Chancellor Lee-Parker carried the offense through the critical third quarter of action, totaling 67 yards on 13 carries with a 22-yard touchdown score while adding two receptions for 31 yards.
Sophomore signal-caller Ethan Beamish eclipsed the 200-yard passing mark for his third game in a row in Brevard blue, tallying 202 yards while going 21-for-36 with a touchdown pass and an interception.
Beamish spread the wealth around, connecting with nine different receivers in the ballgame. Junior wideout Cooper Hogan led the way with six receptions for 55 yards, while Adam Douglas totaled five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Tornados racked up eight tackles-for-loss as a team, with Grequenceo Coger Jr. leading the charge (seven tackles, two TFL). Toby Naylor, a graduate from Southampton, England, was in on a team-best eight tackles. Senior Wyatt Lankford added seven tackles and a tackle-for-loss, as Robert Dorsey, Dylan James, Kentrayle Holloway, Joc Pledger, Baylee Ramey, and Ernest Smith II all were in on TFL for the Tornado defense. James Woods forced a fumble for Brevard that trickled out of bounds to the benefit of the Cougars.
Averett's was paced by a two-touchdown effort from Shawn Watlington, who caught four passes for 67 yards and a pair of scores. The Cougar rushing attack totaled 207 yards as a unit, spearheaded by Isaiah Lytton (97 yards) and Dreylan Martin (77 yards). Fifth-year senior quarterback Bryce Jackson went 12-for-24 with 159 yards passing.
Qumar Price had a team-best eight tackles for the Cougars with one and a half TFL, as the visiting defense was able to bring pressure on Beamish throughout the night with six tackles-for-loss, four quarterback sacks, and several quarterback hurries. Ezekiel Williams forced a Lee-Parker fumble that was recovered by Lamar Horner, while Seth Harden recorded an interception.
Brevard's first drive of the evening stalled at midfield, forcing a punt. Averett drove into the red zone on the ensuing possession but missed a 35-yard field goal to give the Tornados the ball back. After just two plays however, Lee-Parker coughed up the ball to the Averett defense, as the Cougars got on the board with a 26-yard field goal to make the score 3-0 at the 5:25 mark.
BC put together a 12-play, 71-yard drive that was capped by Beamish's five-yard touchdown connection to Douglas as the Tornados took a 7-3 lead.
With the Cougars at midfield on the first drive of the second quarter, Jackson connected with Watlington for a 50-yard strike as Averett retook the lead, 10-7.
Brevard forced a fourth-down stop on Averett's next possession, but a Beamish interception turned into seven points for the Cougars as Jackson linked up with Watlington once again for a 21-yard strike as the visitors pushed their advantage up to a 10-point margin, 17-7.
A 17-play drive by Averett to start the third period was stalled on a fourth-and-goal stop from the Tornados, giving BC back possession at their own one yard line.
BC leaned heavily on Lee-Parker on its 11-play, 99-yard scoring drive, with the Auburn, Georgia native punching it in from 22 yards to cut the deficit to three, 17-14.
Both sides traded punts on their ensuing possessions before Averett used a 50-yard punt to put the Tornados inside their own 30-yard-line. Brevard was forced to go for it on fourth and 19 and came up short. BC was able to force another Averett punt and got the ball back with 48 seconds left to play, but it proved too little too late as the Cougars escaped with a three-point victory.
Brevard will open USA South Conference play next Saturday, September 23 at 5 p.m. when the Tornados host Maryville College for Homecoming 2023.
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