Prep football: Branson opens redemption season with big win

The seniors at The Branson School are checking off their bucket list before graduation, and for the leaders on the football team that started Saturday with a victory over visiting Priory of Portola Valley in the Bulls’ season debut.

The Bulls wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard with four touchdowns in the first half en route to a 40-12 win over the Panthers. For Branson senior quarterback Tom Lardner, the win was a crucial start to his farewell season.

“We had a goal and, after we came up short last year, we have that drive in us. We have that hunger and we’re coming back for it all,” said Lardner, who was 14 for 21 with three touchdown passes and one rushing score.

“Today was a great start,” Lardner summed up.

It was a measure of revenge for Lardner and the Bulls, who lost to Priory, 42-28, in the second game of the 2023 season as Branson finished 5-5. The Bulls eventually lost to Stuart Hall, 70-60, in the North Coast Section 8-person Division I semifinals.

“Tom Lardner had a great game, and this was a redemption game for us,” Branson second-year head coach Jerome Saddler said. “This is the result that we wanted. We really wanted to come out today and punch them in the mouth and get this victory.”

The bucket list continues Friday night at Fresno Christian, which handed the Bulls a 60-32 season-opening defeat last season.

“Last year we were very young and we had new coaches and a new playbook. We had to adjust to that,” Lardner said. “Now we’ve got a ton of seniors and a lot of returners and we understand the playbook. We have a full year of experience together with it. It feels great. I think we have a really good team this year.”

The tables were turned Saturday, as Priory, which won the Pacific Coast League and went 7-2 overall last season, faces a tough climb this season with a young, relatively inexperienced squad.

Lardner and senior Mo Jacoby have spent four years playing football together and winning championships together. Branson won the North Coast Section 8-person D-I crown in their freshman and sophomore seasons. Determined to add another championship, the duo got the Bulls on the scoreboard on the game’s opening drive with a 14-yard reception. The 2-point pass to James Stovell gave Branson an 8-0 lead.

Jacoby caught seven passes from Lardner for 106 yards and two touchdowns under the blistering sun. Stovell caught three passes for 28 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown reception in the closing minutes of the second quarter to give Branson a 32-6 lead at the break.

“The offense had an understanding that if we score every drive, we’re going to beat this team,” Lardner said. “We executed especially from the start. We started off strong with a few touchdowns in the first half and then held them down on defense.”

Jacoby, with seniors Jack Castonguay and Julian Barnes and juniors Max Billington and Luke O’Connell, dominating the defensive line for the Bulls, kept Priory in check for most of the game, with a 10-yard sack and three stops for lost yardage.

“The defensive line did a great job shutting down the run in the first half,” Saddler said. “Mo Jacoby just made some really good tackles in the open space, and our secondary just really locked down.”

Sophomore running back Colby Buxton played a major role in the Bulls offense, bulldozing his way to 88 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. His first run of the day on the opening drive went up the middle for 10 yards. He already had 21 yards racked up on four carries before he broke through the heart of the Panthers’ line for a 23-yard touchdown as the Bulls took a 16-0 lead with 5:46 to play in the first quarter.

“This is the first time he’s really ever played running back,” Saddler said of Buxton. “He did an outstanding job and I’m looking forward to working with him some more. He really impressed me today.”

The combination of passes to Jacoby and handoffs to Buxton kept the Bulls moving. After Branson took over the ball at their own 37 with 2 minutes to play in the first quarter thanks to a stellar defensive line, Lardner directed the Bulls’ charge. He eventually drove the ball across the goal line for a 1-yard scoring run to start the second quarter.

Panthers junior quarterback Michael Hildebrandt rattled off a series of big runs before leaving the game in the second half with an injured left ankle. His 30-yard push broke the Branson line for a second quarter touchdown. Hildebrandt’s 33-yard desperation pass to senior Sebby Sechi got the Panthers into the red zone. Hildebrandt loaded up for a run at the end zone, but was stopped a yard short. He was injured on the play and had to be helped off the field. Sechi took over and got the Panthers on the board again to cut Branson’s lead to 32-12.

Hildebrandt was just 6 for 10 for 72 yards for the Panthers.

The day ended pretty much as it began, with Jacoby catching a 14-yard touchdown pass from Lardner, and the Branson defense then stalling Priory to cap the victory.

Mission accomplished.

Branson 40, Priory 12

non-league

Priory 0 6 6 0 – 12

Branson 16 16 0 8 – 40

SCORING SUMMARY

B – Jacoby 14 pass from Lardner (Stovell pass from Lardner)

B – Buxton 23 run (Mathews pass from Lardner)

B – Lardner 1 run (Rodriguez pass from Lardner)

P – Hildebrandt 30 run (Pass fail)

B – Stovell 12 pass from Lardner (Mathews pass from Lardner)

P – S. Sechi 1 run (Pass fail)

B – Jacoby 14 pass from Lardner (Jacoby pass from Lardner)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Branson, Buxton 16-88, Lardner 4-32. Totals 20-120. Priory, Hildebrandt 13-108, A. Sechi 10-28, S. Sechi 9-26, Weaver 3-10. Totals 35-172.

PASSING — Branson, Lardner 14-21-1 193. Sacks 1-6. Totals 14-21-1 187. Priory, Hildebrandt 6-10-0 72, S. Sechi 1-5-0 7. Ji 0-2-0 0. Sacks 1-10. 7-17-0 69.

RECEIVING — Branson, Jacoby 7-106, Rodriguez 2-38, Stovell 3-28, Buxton 2-21. Totals 14-193. Priory, S. Sechi 2-43, A. Sechi 4-29, Weaver 1-7. Totals 7-79.

Records – Branson 1-0, Priory 0-1.