Brookstone, Jordan football to square off with plenty to prove

On Friday, Brookstone head coach Blair Harrison returns to Rex Knight Field with the Cougars for the first time in six years. While Harrison’s Brookstone reunion could become a feel-good story, Jordan head coach Justin Newman and the re-energized Red Jackets may have something to say about that.

Brookstone and Jordan open their 2017 seasons with a showdown at 7:30 p.m. Friday. For Harrison, it’s his first regular season game back at the school he coached from 2003 to 2011. Harrison has been vocal about his efforts to rebuild the Cougars program, a project that will continue on into the season.

“I think the growing pains are still there for a first-year program trying to get back on its feet,” Harrison said. “The kids are definitely doing everything we’ve asked them to do. Changing the mindset and getting the toughness back into the program has probably been the hardest thing that we’ve had to deal with. They’ve been a pleasure to coach, and it’s a great group of guys. We’ve just got a lot of things to work on and just not a lot of time.”

On paper, the Cougars would be happy about their season-opening matchup. Jordan is fresh off a 0-10 season in which it surrendered 44 points per contest. Newman’s first season with the Red Jackets was a struggle, compounded by internal bickering between the players.

But based off everything he’s seen, the 2017 season is shaping up to be one truly worth watching.

“(The players) feel like it’s different,” Newman said. “The seniors have really took it upon themselves to say, ‘We don’t want to be like that.’ They want to be the ones who start the trend where this thing is going the right way. It’s just an overall program feeling better. The excitement is there.”

Though the season has yet to begin, the Red Jackets have shown that a turnaround is possible. Jordan completely dominated Pacelli in last week’s scrimmage, outscoring the Vikings 51-7. Jordan quarterback Emmanuel Mann put up four total touchdowns and helped orchestrate an offense that put up close to 500 yards of total offense.

The Red Jackets’ potential is not lost on Harrison.

“I feel like Jordan has probably one of the best teams they’ve had in years,” Harrison said. “Hats off to those guys over there in getting those guys ready to go.”

Harrison’s major concern with Friday’s game is his team’s depth. The Cougars only have 42 players on their roster, leaving them vulnerable as the game wears on. Harrison has been adamant throughout the summer about his team needing to get stronger and being able to finish games.

On Friday, he’ll see how much progress the players have made.

“We just have to pace ourselves and get to the fourth quarter,” Harrison said. “Hopefully, we’ll still be in the ballgame when we get there.”

Harrison has been pleasantly surprised with his defense after two scrimmages this fall and said the key for his offense is setting blocks that give playmakers a chance to take off. For Newman, it’s a matter of every Jordan player worrying about his specific assignment rather than his teammate’s. Last season, several games got out of hand when the Red Jackets tried to compensate for each other instead of handling their particular job.

Newman knows his side will be facing off with an established coach but explained that the Red Jackets can prove themselves if they accomplish all the little things.

“Blair’s a very, very good football coach,” Newman said. “I’m sure he could probably call the game blindfolded, he does things that well. They won’t make mistakes. We’ve all got to do our jobs defensively. We’ve got to get them off the field, and we’ve got to score when we’re on offense.

“We just have to have a good, clean game of everybody doing what they’re supposed to do.”

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Brookstone, Jordan football to square off with plenty to prove."