BROWNSBURG –It was only his second varsity game Friday, but sophom*ore running back Garrett Sherrell found himself inserted in a critical situation. Having started the second half in the Bulldogs’ backfield, Sherrell’s number was called on a 4th-and-3 from the Brownsburg 44. If he came up short, Franklin Central would get the ball in striking distance with a chance to tie.
Initially, the 5-7, 180-pounder looked like he was short. Sherrell, though, kept his legs churning and broke through the initial crush of Franklin Central tacklers. He appeared to be corralled again as he reached the second level of defenders, but broke through another pair of would-be tacklers and raced the rest of the way for a 56-yard score that opened a two-touchdown lead for the Bulldogs.
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Class 6A, No. 5 Brownsburg went on to win 28-14 in the two teams’ first Hoosier Crossroads Conference game. Sherrell provided a spark for the second week in a row after missing the Bulldogs’ season opener while in COVID safety protocols.
“It wasn’t really me, it was my linemen,” Sherrell said. “I had faith in them. I was just going to do my job and they do their job. That’s what they did. And I’ve got a good running backs coach in Coach (Ricky) Crider. He told me to keep my legs moving in traffic. That’s what I did, stay low and keep moving.”
Sherrell finished with 87 yards on just seven carries. He scored the only touchdown for Brownsburg (2-1, 1-0) the week prior, and is averaging 8.8 yards per rush with 13 carries for 114 yards in limited action. Sherrell offers the Bulldogs another backfield threat with junior Caleb Marcus, a 1,000-yard rusher a year ago, who added 85 yards and a touchdown in the win.
“The idea all summer was that he and Marcus were going to split (carries),” said Brownsburg coach John Hart. “(Sherrell) was what we thought he was. And we think a lot of Caleb. We actually have a couple of other backs we think a lot of. But those two guys did a really good job.”
Add triple threat Northern Illinois recruit Rashon Myles Jr. to the mix —the defensive back/return specialist added his second rushing touchdown on the season Friday as a goal-line option —along with speedy junior quarterback Jayden Whitaker, and the Bulldogs’ rushing attack has the potential to be potent.
“It takes a lot of weight off my shoulders, but I’ve got to shout out all my guys up front,” Whitaker said. “Those are the guys that make it happen. They create all the holes and without them, we wouldn’t be anything.”
Whitaker led the Bulldogs to the game’s first score, finding receiver Corey Smith on a 10-yard fade in the corner of the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Franklin Central (1-2, 0-1) freshman quarterback Nevan Tutterow found a wide open Peyton Minor for a 41-yard touchdown to tie the score 7-7 with 8:26 left in the half. Marcus added a touchdown just before the break, after the Bulldogs forced one of four Flashes turnovers. Senior tailback Aataeveon Jordan was the focal point of Franklin Central’s offense, finishing with 152 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries.
“I’m really proud of the turnovers, but we weren’t as physical up front as we had been,” Hart said. “I take my hat off to them as part of that, but our front seven wasn’t who we need them to be. I’m not sure the team that played the hardest won tonight.”
Sherrell added another spectacular run late, in which he reversed field and ended up gaining 20 yards, but it was called back because of a penalty. Still, the sophom*ore showed Friday after two games, he’s ready to contribute.
“Some of the stuff he does, you can’t recreate,” Whitaker said. “That breakout tackle, I thought he was down. He broke it for a touchdown. Some of that stuff is just a mojo boost and you can’t recreate that.”
BROWNSBURG 28, FRANKLIN CENTRAL 14
Franklin Central07 0 7— 14
Brownsburg77140— 28
BB – Corey Smith 10 pass from Jayden Whitaker (Nick Berry kick)
FC – Peyton Minor 41 pass from Nevan Tutterow(Zach Naessens kick)
BB – Caleb Marcus 1 run (Berry kick)
BB – Garrett Sherrell 56 run (Berry kick)
BB - RJ Myles Jr. 1 run (Berry kick)
FC – Aataeveon Jordan 2 run (Naessens kick)
Rushing — Franklin Central, Jordan 34-152, Braylen Gillard 14-66, Tutterow 2-(-2). Brownsburg, Marcus 16-85, Whitaker 9-12,Garrett Sherrell 7-87, Myles Jr. 3-30, Zemonda Wilson 2-11.
Passing — Franklin Central, Tutterow 10-19-3 110. Brownsburg, Whitaker 5-9-1 49.
Receiving — Franklin Central, Bryan Marshall 5-33, Dameon Miller 3-30, Minor 2-47. Brownsburg, Smith 3-36, Marcus 1-4, Connor Lambert 1-9.
