Young receiver leads Jackets past Cyclones

James Monroe’s A’Darius Brown spent his freshman year slinging the ball all over the field as a junior varsity quarterback, but all that ended his first day as a member of the varsity team.
“The first time I saw him I told him he would never play quarterback for me again,” JM coach Rich Serbay said. “I just knew he was going to be a heck of a wide receiver.”
Serbay’s decision looked like pure genius Friday night at Cyclones Stadium as Brown — now a sophomore — found the end zone twice thanks to his hands and led the Yellow Jackets in a 35-6 rout of Eastern View.
“People forget about him (Brown),” Serbay said. “He’s a great player and a great kid and I’m proud of him.”
It’s easy to see how people could overlook Brown with the likes of all-state defensive back turned quarterback Farkeem French and one of the Battlefield District’s top runners in Mike Latney on the roster, but the Cyclones won’t forget him anytime soon.
Brown’s first jaunt across the goal line came in the game’s opening quarter thanks to a couple clutch third-down throws by French.
On third-and-14 French hooked up with Brown on a 31-yard pass to keep the Yellow Jackets’ opening drive alive and put the ball on the Cyclones’ 16-yard line. The duo hooked up again on the very next play to put James Monroe on the scoreboard.
“We have big-play capability,” French said. “You never know when Mike (Latney) is going to bust one or if I’m going to throw one up to Greg (Edwards) or Keenan (Carter).”
With his second touchdown, Brown showed he can light up the scoreboard for the Yellow Jackets (6-1 overall, 3-0 Battlefield) any time he touches the ball.
The Cyclones (3-4, 1-3) lined up in a punt formation as their third drive of the game stalled, but that‘s when things went awry.
The snap soared over punter Josh Gardiner’s head. After scrambling around for a few frantic seconds, he decided to throw the ball but Brown stepped in front of the pass and made several tacklers miss on his way to a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“I knew he was about to throw the ball to my side so I ran to where the two defenders were,” Brown said. “Then I caught the ball and I was gone. I wasn’t really looking to take it all the way, but I just kept running.”
Eastern View’s punt team got burned again at the end of the third quarter when Gardiner sent a short, bouncing kick toward James Monroe’s Matt Bailey, who fielded it at the Cyclones’ 40 and sprinted untouched to the end zone.
“Mistakes like that really hurt and they’re almost impossible to overcome,” said EVHS defensive coordinator Ron Watkins. “And the worst thing about it is the punt team has been really solid all season.”
The Yellow Jackets’ punt return for a touchdown turned out to be James Monroe’s final score of the game, but it came on the heels of Latney’s first trip across the goal line.
After busting through the middle of the Cyclones’ defense on a 36-yard scamper to put the ball on Eastern View’s 6-yard line, Latney found the end zone on the very next play to put the Yellow Jackets up 28-6.
“We had a few miscues that hurt us and they got us on a few long pass plays,” Watkins said. “Defensively we were on the field too long and got worn down, but the effort was there and the guys never quit.”
Eastern View’s lone touchdown came in response to the Yellow Jackets opening scoring drive. Alquan Newman broke a 39-yard run with 6:24 left in the first quarter to set up a one-yard touchdown dive by quarterback Simon Pendleton.
“They (EVHS) are a heck of a football team,” Serbay said. “They have a lot of athletes and they should hold their heads high and be proud because they’re going to be a force next year.”
The Cyclones knew winning Friday’s game would do wonders for the rest of their season, but the loss is certainly the farthest thing from their minds right now.
Watkins had to step in and act as interim coach as Greg Hatfield was away dealing with a family illness.
“I didn’t find out that Greg wasn’t going to be here until about 2:30,” Watkins said. “We all had to make adjustments, but we came together as a staff and I’m proud of that. I love Greg like a brother, all these players love him and we want him and his family to know they’re in our prayers.”
The Cyclones will be in action again Friday when they travel to Caroline, while the Yellow Jackets host Chancellor.