A fast start by Linden and too many turnovers by host Brandon spelled defeat for the Blackhawks in their Sept. 12 game.
The Eagles, who are the defending Flint Metro Conference champions, scored three touchdowns in the first half on their way to a 34-6 win against the Blackhawks in the Flint Metro League opener for both teams.
Linden is now 3-0 and 1-0 in the league, while Brandon is 0-3 and 0-1.
Brandon coach Ron Gill said the Blackhawks’ miscues proved costly against a quality team such as Linden.
“They’re a very good football team,” Gill said of the Eagles. “They did a good job on both lines of scrimmage. We committed too many turnovers and penalties. Against a good team, those are mistakes you can’t make.”
The Eagles jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead and added 13 more points in the third quarter before the Blackhawks scored their only points of the game on a 38-yard touchdown run by junior tailback Derek Foyt.
Senior wide receiver Joe Turcsak led the Blackhawks with three catches for 63 yards. “He made some good blocks and big catches for us,” Gill said.
Defensively, Gill said junior linebacker Matt Rife “continues to steadily improve.”
Despite the winless start for the Blackhawks, Gill said the team is continuing to improve its work ethic. “We just need to eliminate mistakes and keep chipping away and good things will happen to us,” he said.
Brandon traveled to Oxford for a Flint Metro League contest Sept. 19. Their next game comes on Homecoming Sept. 26, when the Blackhawks host Holly at 7:30 p.m.
The Bronchos are relying heavily on their juniors to turn around a team that went 1-8 overall and 0-6 in the Flint Metro League last year. Holly is 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the Flint Metro as of press time.
As sophomores last season, the junior class received an early taste of varsity football when Holly coach Darrell DeWitt moved his entire junior varsity team up to varsity when several varsity players left the team during the sixth week of the season.
Key returnees for the Bronchos are: split end-defensive back Brad Cox, wide receiver-running back Derek Stinchcomb, running back-inside linebacker Matt Turner and running back-inside linebacker Casey Lambert.