SPORTS

Brandon’s Beasts column back for 4th year

Brandon Shields
bjshields@jacksonsun.com
Brandon's Beasts

Brandon’s Beasts begins its fourth year honoring five big guys up front who helped pave the way for their respective teams to big wins.

The honorees come from bigger schools and some of the smallest schools in the state, proving linemen help teams succeed at all levels of football.

While their smaller and quicker teammates with the ball were getting most of the attention, these guys were controlling action at or near the line of scrimmage to help the team.

Those efforts were important this week as teams appreciate good starts to their respective seasons with Week 1 victories.

Here are the first set of Brandon’s Beasts for 2016:

Chase Burdette, Adamsville: The defensive end and linebacker for the Cardinals had a quality night as he racked up 10 tackles and three for loss in a big win on the road.

Dalton Davis, Bruceton: Davis plays on both sides of the line for the Tigers and had a quality night blocking for the ground game that rushed for more than 300 yards. He also had a big night defensively with 10 tackles, two for loss and a sack and pass deflection.

Michael Hicks, Gleason: The senior defensive end had a sack and three tackles for loss during an eight-tackle night as the Bulldogs started the season with an emphatic victory.

Jar Lewis, Bolivar: The defensive lineman was all over the field for the Tigers with 10 tackles, one for loss, two fumble recovers, one for a touchdown and a forced fumble in a Region 8-3A victory.

William Parker, South Gibson: The senior offensive lineman was the anchor for the Hornets’ front with seven pancake blocks. The Hornets gained 349 yards on the ground because of the line’s work.

Brandon Shields, 425-9751