Hough beats A.L. Brown 21-7, takes first place in MECKA 4A

Hough, No. 5 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, took sole possession of first place in the MECKA 4A conference Friday with a dominating defensive performance in a 21-7 win on the road over previously unbeaten and No. 3 A.L. Brown.

It actually was the defense that started the scoring for Hough. Senior defensive back Marquill Osborne intercepted Wonders’ quarterback Damon Johnson on A.L. Brown’s first offensive play and returned the pick 23 yards for a touchdown. It was the first of two interceptions for Osborne and four total for the Huskies.

That would be the only score of the first half for either team. Senior running back Sandon McCoy tied the game for A.L. Brown with a 3-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. But that was all the scoring the Wonders could muster.

Sophomore running back Rashad Williams scored for the Huskies on a 5-yard run in the third quarter, and fellow sophomore Jarrett Nagy closed out the scoring with a fourth-quarter, 1-yard plunge.

Hough had its own struggles with A.L. Brown’s aggressive defense, which sacked quarterback Zack Stearns six times.

Quote: “Our defense played well in the first half and even better in the second half. … Offensively, we did just enough to win the game.” Hough coach Miles Aldridge.

“Our defense played an outstanding game. Every time we got into position to make something happen (offensively) we turned the ball over.” A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome.

Records: Hough is is 7-1, 3-0 in MECKA 4A. A.L. Brown is 7-1 overall, 2-1 in conference play.

Worth mentioning: A.L. Brown’s point total was its lowest of the season. The Wonders came into the game beating their opponents by an average score of 39-12. Friday’s result was much more typical for Hough, whose average score before Friday was 28-17.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 11:14 PM with the headline "Hough beats A.L. Brown 21-7, takes first place in MECKA 4A."