Brooke looks to finish strong for seniors
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KINGWOOD -- After a heartbreaking loss to rival Weir High last week, Brooke's hopes of a playoff return will officially have to wait at least one more year.
That, however, does not mean the Bruins don't still have a lot to play for when they travel south to conclude the season at Preston.
To end on a high note, they'll need to put the heartbreak in the rear view in a hurry.
"I think the fact that it will be the last game is helpful in getting that focus back, because it's the last chance for a lot of our senior boys to play this game," Brooke head coach Mac McLean said. "What happened last week was a great football game. If you wear red and black, it was a great moment, if you wear green and gold, it was a horrific moment. That's football.
"We've put it behind us in practice. The way the points worked out, I don't think we were going to make (the playoffs) even if we beat Weir … we're practicing hard and focused on Preston."
Though things have not played out quite how anyone in green and gold would have hoped, they do still have a chance for a second-straight five-win season with a win on Friday night.
"Going 5-5 isn't great, but it isn't a losing season, either," McLean said. "We're concentrating on the chance to put two non-losing seasons back-to-back together and we're going to go from there.
"Having two .500 or better seasons back-to-back, I think, would be a baby step forward. I think we had aspirations this year -- playing most of the season without our quarterback (Braelyn Sperringer) hurt those aspirations -- but I think it could be another small step up the ladder.
"We'll be coming back next year with 30 seniors on our team and hopefully next year is the year we take that next big step and make a postseason run."
Though the playoff pressure might be off, the week has been a range of emotions as the Bruins get ready to say goodbye to their senior class.
"It's more of a sadness than a feeling the pressure is off," McLean said of being out of the playoff race. "There's a lot of coaches in the state of West Virginia going to their last practices this week. You spend four years with a group of kids and get close to them, but you can't sign anyone to a lifetime contract in high school, you have to watch them walk out the door and that is always kind of sad.
"Getting a win and this senior group two non-losing seasons back-to-back will help us continue this march back up the ladder to respectability."
The fact that this is it for their teammates is not lost on Brooke's underclassmen, either, as they look to play hard to give their teammates a proper, victorious sendoff.
"I really don't have to say a lot to them (to get them fired up for Friday) because they are a close-knit group of kids," McLean said. "We had a little lull in practice (Tuesday) and I heard one of my juniors say, 'This isn't going to get it done for our seniors against Preston.' I don't think it's pressure on them necessarily, but I think they want to do right by their teammates and send them out with a W."
Though the Knights are coming in at 1-8, McLean and company are expecting a challenge.
"From looking at them, they look like a pretty physical football team up front," McLean said. "They run a base 4-4 defense and they seem like they like to spread it out and throw the ball around a little bit. We can't take anything for granted, on paper it might look like we should win, but we're going to play the game on the field and not on a piece of paper."
The opening kick is set for 7 p.m.