Takeaways, fourth-quarter kickoff return TD gives HSE 30-23 upset over No. 1 Brownsburg

FISHERS – Friday night was supposed to be a ceremonious regular-season finale for the Class 6A top-ranked Brownsburg Bulldogs.

Instead, the 6A No. 12 Hamilton Southeastern Royals (6-3, 3-4 Hoosier Crossroads Conference) pulled off the upset special on senior night, 30-23, handing the Bulldogs (8-1, 6-1) their first loss of the season.

The loss prevented Brownsburg from claiming the HCC title outright with 6A No. 4 Westfield (7-1, 6-1) defeating 6A No. 11 Franklin Central (5-3, 4-3) at home, 44-7.

HSE led Brownsburg 20-0 at halftime on Friday, but the Bulldogs attempted to rally back for a second straight week to keep their hopes of a perfect season alive.

Brownsburg tied the game 23-23 midway through the fourth quarter behind a trio of second-half touchdowns, but HSE responded with a go-ahead, 95-yard kick-return touchdown by senior Mason Alexander.

A clutch interception by junior Kian Kelly on Brownsburg’s ensuing and final drive put the host Royals in control through the final 3:21. A 20-yard run by quarterback Chandler Weston on third-and-14 extended the drive and forced the Bulldogs to burn their remaining timeouts, as HSE ran out the clock.

“We made so many self-inflicted wounds, and they came out and played great football. We made so many unforced silly mistakes that it’s going to be test time for us to see what kind of fight we have in us,” Brownsburg head coach John Hart said. “We’ve done this now three games where we’ve not come and been ready to play early and it’s cost us. That’s my responsibility. I promise you; we’ll be ready to play some sectional.”

IHSAA football scores: Week 9 roundup, highlights, stats from Central Indiana

Play of the Game: Turnovers were key for the Royals, who used two of Brownsburg’s five in the game to build their early first-half lead and the final one to fend off the state’s No. 1 6A program. A fumble recovery by Kyle Jenkins on Brownsburg’s initial kick return in the first quarter led to a two-play scoring drive and a 10-0 lead. An interception by Michael Hoog late in the first quarter that he returned 45 yards set up HSE’s offense for a three-play, 7-yard drive to make it 17-0 early in the second quarter. Two turnovers on downs by the Bulldogs in the first half – one on fourth-and-2 from HSE’s 8 – kept Brownsburg scoreless until the second half. Kelly had HSE’s second pick in the end zone late in the fourth quarter by winning a one-on-one matchup with the game on the line.

Top Performer: Weston completed 13 of 21 pass attempts for 141 yards and no touchdowns, but his efforts on third downs, in addition to sophomore Carter Reed’s two rushing touchdowns and 49 yards rushing on 16 carries fueled the HSE offense. Senior Liam Boyd led all HSE’s receivers with 85 yards on six receptions. Placekicker Hugo Belmonte, a senior, converted three field goals – two in the first half – measuring 25, 24 and 31 yards, as HSE scored on 6 of 12 possessions.

Turning Point: Alexander scored the go-ahead touchdown on special teams, which accounted for 16 (nine on field goals) of HSE’s 30 points. Alexander sliced through the Bulldogs’ kickoff unit for a 93-yard return touchdown in the fourth quarter, erasing Brownsburg’s game-tying touchdown registered only 13 seconds prior.

Hamilton Southeastern 30, Brownsburg 23

Scoring Plays

HSE — Hugo Belmonte 25 FG

HSE — Carter Reed 10 run (Belmonte kick)

HSE — Reed 1 run (Belmonte kick)

HSE — Belmonte 24 FG

B — Branden Sharpe 39 pass from Iosua Stephens (Will Orlando kick)

HSE — Belmonte 31 FG

B — Shakovon Sumpterbey 10 run (Sumpterbey pass from Stephens)

B — Avin Robinson 30 pass from Stephens (Tez Virgil pass from Stephens)

HSE — Mason Alexander 93 kickoff return (Belmonte kick)

Rushing — Brownsburg: Sumpterbey 12-66, Lewis 12-49, Stephens 7-40, Oscar Frye 1-6. Hamilton SE: Reed 16-49, Chandler Weston 8-44, Vaughn Johnson 7-30, Brennan Baker 8-13, team 3-(minus-3).

Passing — Brownsburg: Stephens 12-23-1, 180; Frye 5-9-1, 63. Hamilton SE: Weston 13-21-0, 141; Callen Okerson 0-1-1, 0.

Receiving — Brownsburg: Sharpe 4-83, Virgil 3-43, Nolan Wilson 2-42, Robinson 2-35, Sumpterbey 3-20, Lewis 2-11, Dante Herzog 1-9. Hamilton SE: Liam Boyd 6-85, Okerson 3-22, Graham Toner 1-22, Reed 2-13, Johnson 1-(minus-1).

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Takeaways, fourth-quarter kickoff return TD gives HSE 30-23 upset over No. 1 Brownsburg