With all due respect to former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green, the 2026 Brebeuf Braves football team may well be who we thought they’d be. After a week one loss to North Central that was a football Rorschach test (maybe it means we’re going to be good? Maybe it means we’re going to lose six in a row again?) Brebeuf made a statement in week two at Mount Vernon with a dominant 47-14 win that emphatically showed this team to be what most observers expected them to be: electric on offense, much improved on defense, and one of the better teams in a loaded 4A Sectional. Keegan Bouwkamp looked like the senior QB that we expected him to be with 250 yards on 16 completions and three TDs. Jasir King looked like the workhorse tailback we expected him to be, with 137 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Senior WR Nate Johnson looked like the sure-handed and explosive receiver we hoped he would be, to compliment the veteran #1 wideout Carter Cosgrove. Brebeuf’s offensive line (who would prefer to remain anonymous) looked like a dominant unit for the second week in a row. Shhhh. Don't tell anybody. Best of all, the Brebeuf defense, which we thought would be a lot better than last year, but which looked a little run down in the second half against NC, looked shiny and new, igniting the team’s performance with a goal line stand in the first quarter that set the tone for the blowout to follow. The game turned midway through the first quarter. Brebeuf punted on their first possession, and Mount Vernon took possession at midfield. Five plays later, they converted a 4th and 6 with a 33-yard completion to the Brebeuf 2. Yikes. First and goal. Brebeuf Defensive Coordinator Jake Weinstein explains what he told his defense during the resulting time out. “We told them to not worry about the yards (that they’d just surrendered on fourth down.) Mount Vernon still had to put the ball in our end zone, and we were good enough to prevent that.” Three plays later, senior DB Cam Walters intercepted Marauder QB Luke Dierks in the end zone, making Coach Weinstein look like Carnac the Magnificent. Given a second chance to start their engines, Bouwkamp (2 passes for 31 yds) and King (3 rushes for 34 yards) led the Braves on an 7-play 80-yard drive culminating in Bouwkamp’s 4-yard rushing TD, pinballing off of two defenders before scoring the game’s first points. That made it 7-0, but essentially the game was over. In the next eight Mount Vernon drives, Brebeuf’s starting defense allowed 165 yards and 8 first downs, while the Braves offense scored touchdowns on their next three possessions, all Bouwkamp passes to Johnson. It was 28-7 at halftime, and – as they like to say in Hancock County- the hay was in the barn. Brebeuf improves to 1-1, and will host Scecina Memorial next week. Come cheer on the Braves as they look to win two in a row!