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Eagle Point’s Brown seizing his chance By Danny Penza Updated: Oct 12, 2022 10:44 PM A A 5 View all photos Senior running back leading the Eagles’ playoff push in first season as team’s primary ball carrier EAGLE POINT — David Brown is not one to do a whole lot of talking on the Eagle Point sideline. He describes himself as a quiet kind of guy, preferring to let his play do most of his talking as he tries to lead by example more than anything else. “I would say off the field I’m pretty quiet,” said Brown. “On the field I’m kind of similar, but I just love playing football.” The same quiet 17-year-old isn’t so discreet when he steps on the field. Not with the way the Eagle Point senior runs the ball. For much of the 2022 season, Brown has indeed had his play speak for itself, with the 6-foot-1, 170-pound running back having a season that very few at his position in the state can presume to match. “It’s been a blast, it’s been fun,” said Brown of his final run with the Eagles. “I’ve pretty much waited my whole life for this and it’s finally here. My running style is reflective of how much I want it and how much I want to win and just get stuff done. I want to make sure all the effort I put in, it all pays off.” It’s a quiet confidence that Brown exudes, and it’s one that has helped him get to where he is today. Brown has gotten the opportunity to be the ninth-ranked Eagles’ featured back and quite literally has run away with it. With Brown leading the charge, Eagle Point has matched its win total from last season (4) with three weeks remaining while sitting second in the Midwestern League at 3-1 entering Friday night’s rivalry game against Crater at Dutch Meyer Field in Central Point. With a goal of building off a good 2021 campaign for EP, Brown wasted little time getting things going. He rushed for 272 yards during his junior season as more of a complementary back to senior Isaiah Hill but eclipsed that number in the season opener, going off for 300 yards and seven touchdowns in Eagle Point’s 54-33 win over Ashland at La Pine High School. “It was kind of expected going into that game,” said Brown of the outing. “One of my coaches that week of the game said he was expecting eight touchdowns out of me because our running back last year, Isaiah, he got seven. I ended up with seven, though.” Consider his head coach as someone who wasn’t surprised, either. “Any time you have a game like that to start off the season, you’re like, ‘Wow,’” said Eagle Point coach Erik Johnson. “It definitely wasn’t shocking by all means, because he’s always had that potential. Now that the offensive line is clicking, it makes it a little bit easier for him.” Brown hasn’t let up since that eye-popping 2022 debut. In a three-week span against Churchill, North Eugene and Willamette, Brown rushed for over 200 yards in each game, eclipsing 1,000 yards for the season in Eagle Point’s Sept. 30 win over the Wolverines. On the season, Brown has 1,062 yards rushing on 136 carries, scoring 17 rushing touchdowns behind an average of 7.8 yards per carry. He also has five touchdown receptions this season. Entering last week’s action, Brown was the fourth in the state in rushing yards, regardless of classification, and the leading rusher in Class 5A. “Some guys when it comes their senior year, they just flip that switch and they just have it,” said Johnson. “He’s definitely one of those that has flipped that switch and has that sense of urgency that it is his senior year.” “Not every team has somebody like him every year. He’s pretty special that way,” continued the coach. “There’s always those guys who stand out, and it’s usually a senior at some point, but he’s just been consistently delivering. He’s a guy that you have to get the ball in his hands.” Brown knew this expanded role was in the cards and spent the summer months trying to ensure that he would be able to handle the load of more carries coming his way. Brown, who wrestled at the 152-pound weight class at last year’s 5A state championships, said he put on between 10 and 15 pounds of muscle over the summer. “I was a little slimmer and skinnier,” said Brown, who was listed at 160 pounds last season. “I think (putting on more muscle) really helped me out. I’ve just been running, too, and even during the season I’ve been doing extra stuff. I try to take it easy a few days before the game to get some recovery in, but that’s been working well for me.” Last Thursday’s 24-14 loss to the MWL’s lone unbeaten, Thurston, was only the second time this season that Brown has been held under 100 yards rushing. In the loss to the Colts, Brown carried the ball just 10 times for a season-low 26 yards. The last time he was held under 100 yards, in Eagle Point’s Week 2 loss to Mazama, he responded with a 240-yard night in the Eagles’ MWL-opening win over Churchill. You think he wants to repeat himself against the Eagles’ biggest rival? “That’s the hope, that’s the hope,” Brown said with a laugh. “It’s going to be a little extra motivation.” Try and connect all the dots you want, but it’s pretty easy to see just how important Brown has become to Eagle Point’s offense and overall success. He’s also become the focal point of defensive game plans when it comes to trying to stop the Eagles’ offense — something that Thurston executed quite well last week. “It was a good game and Thurston’s a well-coached team and we have to learn from that,” said Johnson. “I thought we competed and all we can do is have opportunities to win, and I really thought that we did. They’re upset (with the loss to Thurston), but I think they’re going to handle it just fine and be ready to go against Crater.” Johnson said he is expecting Crater (2-4, 1-3) — which is coming off a tough MWL loss of its own against Willamette — to do a lot of the same things that Thurston did defensively to try and slow Brown down. “Oh yeah, no question about it,” said the coach. “(Crater head coach Berk Brown) will throw out all sorts of stuff at us and they’ll be ready to go. It will be physical and all of the above. They’ll do the same in trying to shut down David, and they should.” But the most important thing for Brown right now is to translate his rushing yards and touchdowns into more wins for an Eagle Point team trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. “That would mean everything,” said Brown. “That would be cool, and I’m just trying to get the extra football games and go from there. Just get to the playoffs and see how far we can make it.” “Going into this year that was the main thing — just make it to the playoffs and go from there,” he continued. “So far, it’s looking pretty good. Me and the rest of our seniors, we haven’t been to the playoffs or anything like that yet. We’re trying to make it a first and bring that tradition to Eagle Point.” Having grown up going to Eagle Point games, Brown certainly understands what it would mean to get the Eagles back into the playoffs. And that’s proven to be something that he carries with him every time he has the ball in his hands. “It’s pretty crazy just thinking that when I was 10 or 12 years old I was up in the stands watching and now I’m down on the same field playing,” said Brown. “I’m out there having this great of a season and all these little kids are watching me and coming up to me after games … it feels good.” Reach reporter Danny Penza at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @penzatopaper. Eagle Point's David Brown at Eagle Stadium during practice Tuesday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Eagle Point's David Brown runs for a first down against Thurston at Eagle Stadium. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Eagle Point's David Brown on the sidelines against Thurston at Eagle Stadium. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Eagle Point's David Brown scores against Thurston at Eagle Stadium. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Eagle Point's David Brown scores against Thurston at Eagle Stadium. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]