5 keys from Brentwood's 42-7 win over Stewarts Creek

After winning a pair of back-to-back region games, Stewarts Creek continued to find  non-region play difficult Friday.

Eighth-ranked Brentwood used a potent passing attack to earn a 42-7 win over the Red Hawks.

Brentwood quarterback Carson Shacklett was 10-of-11 passing and threw for 223 yards, including four touchdowns.

Here are five keys to the game:

Stop the pass

Stopping the pass has been a key to Stewarts Creek’s success all season. In their two wins the Red Hawks bottled up the Antioch and Overton passing attacks.

But in their two losses, the Red Hawks struggled. Siegel had 231 passing yards against Stewarts Creek in Week 1, and the Bruins had 223 passing yards in one half against Stewarts Creek Friday.

“They did what they wanted to do,” said Stewarts Creek coach David Martin. “They executed extremely well. Their execution was flawless.”

On the flip side

Meanwhile on offense the Red Hawks couldn’t get their passing game on track. They only managed two passing yards through the first three quarters.

Tayne Davis got things going in the fourth quarter, completing two passes for 46 yards, giving him 48 for the game.

Avoiding penalties

One strong point for Stewarts Creek this year has been avoiding penalties. That trend continued Friday, as the Red Hawks only were penalized once the entire game, for a facemask infraction. 

Setting the tone early

On their first series on offense, the Red Hawks had it third-and-one and Davis attempted a quarterback sneak. He would have had it but someone missed a block and he was brought down short of the first down. The Red Hawks wound up going three-and-out.

That set the tone for the Red Hawks’ offensive struggles. They couldn’t get the option or the running game going all game.

Meanwhile, on Brentwood’s first drive, Stewarts Creek had them third-and-seven, but Shacklett threw it deep for a 43-yard pass which not only picked up the first but also got the Bruins in the end zone. 

Jekyll and Hyde?

Stewarts Creek played exceptionally well in its first two region games, winning both of them. But they struggled against two 6-A teams, losing to Siegel and Brentwood.

The competition was a lot tougher, but Davis believes his team could have played better.

“They are one heck of a football team, but we came out flat,” Davis said of Brentwood. “We couldn’t play (as) fast. They were the better football team tonight.”