Brock crushes Jim Ned in regional semifinals, snaps Indians' winning streak
BROWNWOOD — Jim Ned’s regional semifinal game against Brock on Friday was much different from its previous 26 contests.
The Indians lost 70-25 to the Eagles in the third round of the 3A Division I state playoffs, snapping their 26-game winning streak and ending their 2021 season short of defending its state championship. It marked Jim Ned’s first loss since Aug. 28, 2020.
Brock’s 45-point win was vengeance from last year’s regional semifinal game, when Jim Ned upended the Eagles 19-16.
“They played really well,” Jim Ned head coach Matt Fanning said. “I’m sure they had us on the calendar; we had them on it, too. They had a great game plan: If we made a mistake, they capitalized.”
The Eagles set the tone early, scoring twice in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead. On Jim Ned’s third possession, the Indians drove down the field but turned the ball over on downs.
Brock answered with another touchdown, and the rout was on.
Outgaining Jim Ned 657-227, Brock dominated every facet of the game. The Eagles averaged 10.6 yards per play and rushed for 428 yards as a team.
Junior running back Kutter Wilson was Brock’s top offensive player, rushing for 297 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Tyler Moody also did his part, completing 13 of 15 pass attempts for 224 yards and four touchdowns. Eli Potts caught three of those touchdown receptions, while Nathan Jones caught one.
“They do a good job of stretching the field on you,” Fanning said. “We put our guys in a bind trying to cover things in space, and they were able to exploit that and take advantage of it. That’s what good ball clubs do.”
For Jim Ned, Xavier Wishert ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Wishert struggled in the first half, as the Eagles held him to multiple negative-yardage plays. But he found a groove later in the game, scoring twice with his legs, in addition to his scoop-and-score touchdown in the second half.
“He’s the best football player in 3A, in my opinion,” Fanning said. “It was good to get him going and finish it out the right way.”
Tate Yardley, Jim Ned’s senior quarterback, struggled all game. The signal caller completed seven of 19 pass attempts and threw two interceptions.
Brock’s aggressive front seven made it tough for Yardley to settle down in the pocket.
“They got us out of our rhythm,” Fanning said. “We were forced to be kind of predictable with personnel, and they exploited that.”
With the loss, Jim Ned finishes the season 12-1 overall.
It didn’t end at AT&T Stadium with a state championship, but the season was still memorable for the Indians. They won 12 games in a row, cruised to a district championship and saw their most accomplished senior class build on its legacy.
“We’re not real happy about the score; we’re happy about our kids,” Fanning said. “That’s the way football goes. Hats off to (Brock); we’ll be pulling for them.”
More: Jim Ned, Brock square off in rematch of last year's playoff thriller
More: Big game from Wishert propels Jim Ned past Peaster in bi-district blowout
More: Abilene, Big Country high school football playoff pairings, results (through Nov. 19)
More: Abilene, Big Country high school football playoff pairings, results (through Nov. 19)
Game summary
► Turning point: Down 14-0, the Indians had it in the red zone, looking to get on the scoreboard. On 4th and 1, a bad direct snap to Xavier Wishert turned it over on downs. That led to another Brock score, which expedited the rout.
► Player of the game: Kutter Wilson, RB, Brock – Wilson won the battle of elite running backs Friday, rushing for 297 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 9.3 yards per rush.
► Key stat: 657 total yards for Brock. It's hard to beat anybody when their offense puts up almost 700 total yards. Brock excelled both on the ground and through the air, making it very hard for Jim Ned to stop the Eagles.
► Coach Matt Fanning said: "They got us out of our rhythm. We’re not real happy about the score; we’re happy about our kids. That’s the way football goes. Hats off to (Brock); we’ll be pulling for them.”
► Impact: Jim Ned loses its first game, snaps 26-game winning streak. Brock avenges 19-16 playoff loss in 2020
► Up next: Brock plays Whitesboro, which doubled up Shallowater 50-25, for the Region I-3A Division I title and berth in the state semifinals.
Brock 70, Jim Ned 25
Brock ... 14 ... 21 ... 21 ... 14
Jim Ned ... 0 ... 6 ... 6 ... 13
FIRST QUARTER
BROCK — Kutter Wilson 4 run (Brody Baker kick), 5:53
BROCK — Wilson 44 run (Baker kick), 1:10
SECOND QUARTER
BROCK — Eli Potts 36 pass from Tyler Moody (Baker kick), 10:42
BROCK — Wilson 31 run (Baker kick), 4:14
JN — Xavier Wishert 32 run (kick blocked), 2:26
BROCK — Potts 13 pass from Moody (Baker kick), 0:25
THIRD QUARTER
BROCK — Potts 15 pass from Moody (Baker kick), 10:00
BROCK — Nathan Jones 24 pass from Moody (Baker kick), 9:03
JN — Wishert 1 run (pass failed), 7:06
BROCK — Wilson 3 run (Baker kick), 3:10
FOURTH QUARTER
BROCK — Wilson 9 run (Baker kick), 10:33
BROCK — Brett Tutter 66 run (Baker kick), 8:16
JN — Wishert 1 run (Luke Vinson kick), 6:19
JN — Wishert 34 fumble recovery (Vinson kick), 3:45
TEAM STATISTICS
.......................... Brock ... Jim Ned
First Downs ... 34 ... 16
Rushes-Yards ... 47-428 ... 29-174
Passing ... 229 ... 53
Comp-Att-Int ... 13-15-0 ... 7-19-2
Fumbles-Lost ... 1-1 ... 1-0
Penalties-Yards ... 13-120 ... 9-85
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Brock, Kutter Wilson 32-297, Brett Tutter 4-100, Eli Potts 2-16, Zach Brewster 2-9, Jake Lindberg 5-8, Tyler Moody 2- -2. Jim Ned, Xavier Wishert 20-159, Brayden Shipman 2-18, Tate Yardley 5-11, Troy Doran 1- -4, Cal Barron 1- -10.
PASSING: Brock, Tyler Moody 13-15-229. Jim Ned, Tate Yardley 7-19-53.
RECEIVING: Brock, Eli Potts 8-142, Nathan Jones 2-41, Bain Shanklin 1-22, Zach Brewster 1-15, Diego Hernandez 1-9. Jim Ned, Troy Doran 2-29, Braden Lewis 3-21, Cooper Mascorro 1-3, Brayden Shipman 1-0.
RECORDS: Jim Ned 12-1, Brock 13-0
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Jim Ned Indians crushed against Brock Eagles in third round
