Four minutes into the second quarter of Friday night’s game against #2-ranked and perennial bully Chatard, Brebeuf’s football team led 7-0 and they were feelin’ it. And why not? Keegan Bouwkamp’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Todd came after Chatard had punted on their first three possessions against the much-improved Brebeuf defense. It also came exactly 364 days after Brebeuf lost at Chatard 37-6, a game where the Braves were outgained on offense, 484 yards to 11. Eleven. Heck, we got twice that many on the first play from scrimmage tonight, a 21-yd completion from Bouwkamp to Carter Cosgrove. At 7-0, Braves fans were feeling like Charlie Brown on Thanksgiving, watching Lucy kneel down to hold that football. Maybe this time, we were going to kick it! What an exhilarating feeling! That feeling lasted exactly eleven seconds of game time, for on Chatard’s next offensive play, Jax Guidrey, their backup tailback starting in place of injured all-city back Danny Adams, ran 59 yards untouched for the tying score. On the next Chatard possession (following an interception on Brebeuf’s first play) Guidrey ran 43 yards for a touchdown- on 3rd and 20. It was only 14-7, but you could hear camels’ backs breaking all up and down the Braves sidelines. Guidrey ran for a third TD two possessions later as the Trojans dropped 28 unanswered points on the Braves in an 8 ½ minute second quarter tsunami that ensured the visitors their sixth-straight win over Brebeuf. Guidrey finished the game with 267 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries behind an offensive line, led by 302-lb center and Northern Illinois commit Maddox Dwyer, that controlled the flow of the game. Brebeuf has beaten Chatard three times in 38 meetings, so none of this is terribly surprising, but this game showed that Matt Geske’s team at least belongs on the field with the 17-time state champs, and is far better than last year’s team, especially on defense. Take away that second quarter, and Brebeuf played Chatard to a stalemate (which, admittedly is sort of like saying, “Take away the US air campaign and that Gulf War against Saddam was a real nail-biter.”) The Braves fall to 3-2 and will host Roncalli next week for Homecoming in Brebeuf’s final Circle City Conference football game. Come cheer on your Braves!