Travis Brown has enjoyed plenty of time in the athletic spotlight at West Aurora for his exploits on the basketball court, but he’s always wondered what it would be like to play football.
It’s a different beast, but playing for the first time this season, Brown wouldn’t trade the experience for anytuing. Especially now that he has an all-time memory to go with it.
“All my life, I’ve been wanting to play football but my mom wouldn’t let me because she was scared of injuries that come with it,” said Brown, who had assistant coach Kyle Phelps help him convince Travis’ mother, Sharon, to give the OK for football last spring.
“She said yeah and I finally came out. Injury comes with the sport, but I’m never afraid to take the stage, take the step and keep going. And there was never a doubt about me finishing this season — I was always gonna finish it out with my boys.”
Brown helped the Blackhawks finish it off Friday night. The senior receiver’s 68-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was one of the key plays in a 40-21 win over Leyden in a Class 8A opening-round playoff game.
Entering the game with just four receptions for 40 yards, Brown delivered a breakout performance by catching four passes from senior quarterback Tyler Fecht for 111 yards to advance the Blackhawks (7-3) to next weekend’s first-round game at St. Ignatius.
On top of that, Brown’s TD extended West Aurora’s six-point lead to 33-21 with 7:04 remaining.
“Compared to basketball, it’s very different, not being the main guy like I am for the basketball team,” Brown said. “You have to play your role and that’s what I did (Friday).
“I catch the ball, get up the field, do my job, block if I have to and do what I have to do.”
He credited a block by senior running back Ashtyn Sharkey for springing him for the score.
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“To be honest, we really haven’t used him a whole lot this year, but this team knows how much of an athlete he is,” Fecht said of Brown. “He just needs the ball in his hands.
“You saw what he did. Get him the ball and he’s something special.”
Just like in basketball, where Brown is committed to a scholarship offer from NCAA Division II Winona State after leading the Blackhawks the past two seasons as a do-everything guard.
Fecht also finished strong Friday, completing 9 of 13 passes for 200 yards and two TDs, the other covering 35 yards to Richard Bell Jr. on a stop-and-go route.
Bell, another basketball player, had three catches in the fourth quarter for 76 yards and caught a 2-point conversion pass in addition to defending the top receiver for Leyden (3-7).
Due to injuries, West Aurora again went with a committee of running backs led by Keyeldrick Woods Jr., who had 10 carries for 81 yards and a TD in the back-and-forth game.
West Aurora led 13-7 at halftime but punted three times in the third quarter before rallying late.
“Richard and Tyler were the ones who got us going,” Eimer said. “I told them we were gonna put the ball in their hands and they made plays. That double move (by Bell) was their call.”
And Brown’s emergence?
“The kid is just learning to play football,” Eimer said. “That was game 10. And like every week, he’s better and better. He’s so coachable. If we had him four years, who knows?
“That touchdown was a big moment. Leyden had just answered and we were kind of tired. A lot of guys we need to run the ball now are playing both ways. That was probably the play of the game.”
Eimer, meanwhile, is a proponent of the expanded playoffs.
“Leyden’s kids got a 10th game and you saw their effort,” he said. “I’m just glad we came out on top and figured it out at the end.”