By SETH HAGAN | Special to the Reporter
NORTH SHELBY – The Briarwood Christian Lions were hoping for a more triumphant return to Class 5A at home but ran up against a team in the Ramsay Rams that have been to the state championship each of the last two years.
The Lions scratched and clawed through offensive struggles all night and the defense brought them back to life in the fourth quarter, but their comeback ultimately fell short in a tough 23–14 loss to open play in Region 5.
“There were just too many self-inflicted wounds tonight. Our defense battled and tried to keep us in it, but you can’t make that many mistakes with the football against a team like that and expect to come out with a win,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forrester said.
The first half of the game took on the identity of a defensive grudge match. After Ramsay scored on their opening drive of the game, neither offense scored until after halftime.
Penalties reared their ugly head time and time again, hindering almost every drive by the Lions. The Ramsay defense was especially stout with several sacks and tackles for loss to further extend the BCS struggles in the half.