by Malcolm Butler
Brett Bell had himself a night.
The junior signal caller for Cedar Creek rushed for 278 yards and six touchdowns and passed for 80 more and another score to lead the Cougars to a 65-32 win over Lincoln Prep at Origin Bank Stadium on Homecoming Night.
It was a performance for the ages.
“He stepped up big-time,” said Cedar Creek head coach Jacob Angevine. “He has been getting better and better every week, but tonight he became the alpha.”
Bell did just about anything he wanted against the Panthers, running over, around and through the Lincoln Prep defense.
“He was able to get to the edge, make people miss, run over people,” said Angevine. “He did it all tonight. Brett Bell cemented his name as one of the best players in our district tonight.”
Bell carried the ball just 15 times, averaging over 18 yards per carry and helping Cedar Creek amass 457 yards on the ground.
“I’ve gotten better reading the plays,” said Bell, who was quick to give credit to his teammates. “We have a great O-line, so they make it easy to read the plays. I think reading the defense and understanding what I can do has been my biggest improvement.”
Bell scored on runs of 28, 80, 24, 43, 3 and 28 yards during the contest while also connecting on a 65-yard TD pass to Blake Robinson in the second quarter.
“It’s awesome having a quarterback that isn’t afraid of anything and has that much swagger,” said Robinson, who snuck behind the defense on a play-action pass. “He plays like he doesn’t have anything to lose. He’s a junior and is showing everybody how it’s done. He has taken on a leadership role with me and the seniors. We are all stepping up trying to make this a player led team.”
Throughout the contest, Bell calmly brought his team to the line, looked over the Panthers defense, and made right decision after right decision.
“He has things you can’t teach,” said Angevine. “For a guy who has not played football since the eighth grade, he’s remarkable. He has things you just can’t teach. His athleticism is awesome, and his decision making is getting better and better.
“He keeps everybody cool, calm, and collected. He has to. He has to step up and be that leader. He gets into the huddle, keeps everyone calm, and says, ‘Look this is the play we are going to run, and we are about to get a first down or we are about to score here.’ He takes control.”
The Cougars jumped out to a quick two score lead on Bell’s 28-yard run followed by Payton Harris’ 2-yard run. Harris finished with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
And anytime the Panthers threatened to try to make it a game, Bell answered with a big play.
One play after the Panthers cut the Creek lead to 14-6, Bell faked a handoff to Trigger Woodard, pulled the ball, and raced 80 yards untouched to the endzone.
It was one of the easier scores of the night. They weren’t all like that as numerous times he ran through arm tackles, with Lincoln Prep defenders trying to drag him down. The Panthers didn’t have a lot of success though.
“I’m intense,” said Bell. “You have to be intense to do the little things right. I have learned that from baseball. I try to stay calm and poised at all times.”
Bell put the final nail in the Panther’s coffin with a 28-yard TD run with 2:16 to play in the contest, adding the two-point conversion with his legs. And he did it with a cool calmness that gives his teammates confidence.
“Somehow he has gotten more confident,” said Robinson. “It doesn’t make sense. He has never lacked confidence. Never once. It’s special to have a quarterback like that.”
Although the rushing total isn’t a Cedar Creek single game record, it is believed to be in the Top 5 all-time according to school officials.
