:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/B5Z4VCWP2JGOFP6Z33LZSOIAZM.JPG)
DeKALB – Jamari Brown scored three touchdowns in his first game as the feature running back for DeKalb, as the Barbs rolled to a 45-6 win Friday over Belleville West.
“He’s had a great two weeks of practice,” DeKalb coach Derek Schneeman said. “Every time he’s been in on Friday nights he’s been really good, so we felt like let’s give him a shot. Let’s see what happens.”
Schneeman said every phase was clicking for DeKalb (2-1) in the win.
“We’ve got a lot of potential,” Schneeman said. “The sky’s the limit with this team if we put all three phases together. This is the first time we’ve been able to do it for 48 minutes.”
For the Barbs’ offense, it was the Jamari Brown show early and often as the junior running back ran for 139 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Brown rushed four times for 26 yards on the Barbs’ opening drive, capping the drive with a six-yard touchdown run through the heart of the Maroons’ defense.
“It feels really good,” Brown said. “All the work pays off. Literally all the work you do pays off. Work does not fail you.”
Brown again hit pay dirt from three yards out on their next possession after the Barbs were set up at the Maroons 26 yard line after junior defensive back LaBrian Carrington made an interception for the Barbs on one of the rare Maroon pass plays.
“I just saw the ball, and I just got it,” Carrington said. “See ball, get ball.”
The Barbs defense forced four turnovers in the game, recovering three, to go along with Carrington’s pick.
“We all played as a team,” Carrington said. “We’ve got the seniors leading us in the right direction. We’re playing as a team. We’re family.”
Brown’s third touchdown came on another goal-line carry from two yards out in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Brown wasn’t touched as the Barb line pushed the visitors back into their own end zone.
The special teams unit also got in on the action. Toriano Tate, now playing full-time on defense after a hot offensive start to the season, charged in for a punt block that set his team up deep in Maroons’ territory with just more than a minute to go in the half.
Tate scored six plays later, getting behind the defense and catching a 22-yard strike from quarterback Joshua Klemm.
“I can’t say enough about (Tate),” Schneeman said. “I feel like Toriano is the best player every time we step out on Friday nights, and he shows out. He’s the best when the lights are brightest, and tonight is no different.”
Klemm also had a rushing touchdown for the Barbs. Klemm was filling in for starter Adrien McVicar who was unavailable
Even when things went wrong for the Barbs they still went right. After Brown broke free from the Maroons’ defense and looked like he was going to score on a 45-yard run late in the third quarter, the Maroons knocked the ball loose on the goal line. Barbs receiver David Chew fell on the ball in the end zone for another touchdown that put the Barbs up, 45-0.
“It was hurtful because I hurt my shoulder on that fumble, but my teammate got it and we scored,” Brown said. “That’s all I care about. We got it and we scored.”
William Nicholson scored the only touchdown for the Maroons on a five-yard run in the beginning of the fourth quarter after the game already had been decided.