The Brewer and Etowah teams line up for a play from Friday night’s game. | Cody McKee

Cody McKee
Special to the Enquirer 

FLORETTE – A first half safety came back to haunt Brewer, as the Patriots fell short of upsetting Scottsboro, 23-21.

Despite getting a monstrous game from junior Brendon Deberry who tallied up 351 yards on the night and all the Patriots touchdowns, the opportunity to win three straight games slipped away.

“You played your guts out. There is nothing more we can ask for,” a Brewer coach urged his team after the tough loss.

The Patriots (3-4, 2-3) came into the game winners of two straight and ran the football well in both contests, but Scottsboro (5-2, 4-1) did just enough to hold on for the win in Brewer’s most important game with regard to playoff implications in more than 10 years.

Deberry’s charge started early as he was able to break though the Scottsboro defense for a 39-yard run to reach the end zone, giving the Patriots a 7-0 lead with 6:42 to play in the first.

The lead didn’t last a minute as a big kickoff return set up quarterback Trey Lewis on an eight-yard touchdown run.

Bad field position for the Patriots led to a Scottsboro safety on a third-down tackle for a loss. Lewis hooked up with his senior receivers again to increase the Wildcat lead to nine by halftime.

Brewer’s Nathan Stewart ran the ball well with 85 yards on 17 carries.

Despite a subpar third quarter for both teams, the Wildcats scored again on Tyler Lauren’s one-yard touchdown run.

Trailing by 16, Deberry answered the call with an explosive 65-yard punt return for a score. He wasn’t finished early in the fourth as he helped mount the Patriots’ most impressive drive of the season, as he hit Louis Daugette for the score with 11 seconds left.

With less than a minute to go, a hurdling penalty was called on Brewer as Deberry leaped over a defender.

After the touchdown, the Patriots failed to recover the onside kick, as Scottsboro was able to kneel on it to seal the win.

Brewer’s tough stretch continues this week, as they travel to Fort Payne (4-3, 3-2) Friday.