After throwing for 296 passing yards against a talented Chillicothe football squad on Sept. 4, Western Brown’s sophomore quarterback Brody Barber totaled 839 passing yards in three weeks as the Southern Buckeye Athletic/Academic Conference’s passing leader.
Unfortunately for the the large crowd of Bronco fans who showed up on Friday night to cheer on their Broncos in the non-league battle, it was Western Brown coming out on the short side of a 56-21 final score.
The Broncos led the way early on, capping off a drive with a two-yard touchdown carry by senior running back Rylin Anderson with 7:44 to go in the first period.
It was Chillicothe tying the game at seven with a 39-yard touchdown pass with just over two minutes remaining in the first period. But the Broncos were quick to tack seven more points onto their side of the scoreboard with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Barber to junior Deon Bradford with 1:19 to go in the first period, putting Western Brown on top 14-7 after the successful kick for the extra point by sophomore kicker Brayden Moore.
It was in the second period when the struggles started for the Broncos.
Chillicothe out-scored the Broncos 28-0 in the second quarter to head into halftime break with a 35-14 lead.
Chillicothe upped their lead to 49-14 in the third period, out-scoring the Broncos 14-0 in the frame, and both teams managed one touchdown each in the fourth period.
Barber completed 20-of-40 pass attempts with only one interception against a speedy Chillicothe defense.
Anderson led Bronco rushers with 16 carries for 85 yards and one touchdown.
Bradford led Bronco receivers with eight receptions for 136 receiving yards, scoring one touchdown.
Western Brown’s senior tight end, Peyton Day, had one touchdown reception in week three.
Day was also a leader on defense for the Broncos in week three with 13 tackles (nine solo).
After week three, Bradford was second among SBAAC receivers with 318 receiving yards.
Western Brown senior Adam Pena was third among SBAAC tackle leaders after week three with 27 tackles.
The Broncos dropped to an overall record of 1-2 with their loss to Chillicothe on Sept. 4, and they were scheduled to be at Jackson for a non-league game in week four on Sept. 11.
The Broncos are on the road again in week five, facing Miami Trace in a non-league game on Sept. 18.
Chillocothe upped their overall record to 3-0 with their Sept. 4 win at Western Brown.