Bees beat Liberty, impress scouts

If homecoming didn’t provide enough pageantry for Brookville’s football game against Liberty, guest appearances by Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring added to the festival atmosphere before a near-capacity crowd on Friday night.

The Bees, ranked No. 1 in the state among Group AA schools, were able to keep the sideshows from being distractions in a critical Seminole District showdown with the Minutemen. Brookville (8-0, 4-0 Seminole) took advantage of four Liberty turnovers and two failed fourth-down conversions and didn’t let the Minutemen (5-2, 2-1) make its four lost fumbles hurt too much in a 36-14 triumph that kept them in first place in the district race.

Senior quarterback Logan Thomas, one of a handful of Bees’ Division I prospects and the primary purpose for the Hokies’ recruiting visit, completed 10 of 11 passes for 113 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown to Corby Weiss. Thomas’ cousin, Zack McCray, put on at least as impressive a show on defense, harassing Liberty quarterbacks Tyler Bowyer and Anthony Reynolds, contributing to four sacks with help from teammates Cory Patterson and Jarrett Bateman.

“I maybe played a little better knowing Frank Beamer was here,” McCray said. “I stepped up my game.”

Senior offensive lineman Devin Bolling carried his own weight on the offensive line, helping to open holes for senior tailback Stacey Houston.

“They were here to evaluate me and watch Zack and Logan,” Bolling said. “It was a real physical game both ways from offense to defense.”

Houston may have turned some heads with his 28-carry, 177-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance.

“I haven’t gotten too much (attention) from the ACC, mostly the Ivy League,” Houston added. “If ACC teams offer, I’ll listen.”

After a slow start, hampered by a shoulder dislocation, Houston is the area’s leading rusher with 1,045 yards and 13 TDs.

He didn’t start slow Friday night, capitalizing on Liberty’s first turnover on its second possession for an 8-yard touchdown run and adding a second-effort 3-yard score in the second quarter and 40-yard sprint up the middle, extending Brookville’s lead to 30-7 in the third quarter. But on his final carry in the fourth quarter, Houston fell awkwardly on an 8-yard pickup and injured his ankle, with his status for next week’s game at Staunton River uncertain.

Liberty running back Lavarta Tanner, on his first carry after missing the past four games with an arm injury, lost a handoff from Bowyer and injured his shoulder after taking a hit on the play, which ended with Patterson recovering his fumble at the Minutemen 10.

“We got behind early,” Liberty coach Chris Watts said. “We put the ball on the ground right here at the (10-) yard line … and that gave them a short field.”

Thomas set up Houston’s second touchdown by intercepting Bowyer’s deep pass intended for Liberty receiver Boo Payne, who got turned around on the play.

Reynolds’ 28-yard pass play to Kordero Thompson gave Liberty a first-and-goal at the 5 before Bowyer took it in from there to trim the lead to 16-7. But on the Bees’ next drive, Logan found Weiss in the end zone, who shielded the 32-yard scoring pass from Payne.

“It was a little bit underthrown, but I made he adjustment to come back and catch it,” Weiss said. “I slowed up just so I could get in front of him, so he couldn’t go over me or get in front of me and catch it.”

Liberty opened the second half by recovering an on-side kick at the 50 and runs of 38 and 11 yards by Thomas Clark got it down to the 1, but it couldn’t punch it in, with Brookville recovering a fumbled exchange to Justin Davis at the 5 and marching 95 yards in seven plays, capped by Houston’s third TD run.

That turn of events set the tone for the second half, when the Minutemen also came up short on a fourth-and-inches try at the Bees’ 12 late in the third quarter.