Facing possible season-ending injury, Batavia’s Brown puts on brace and moves to defensive end instead

Was this really the end of the line for Batavia’s Jack Brown? Not so fast.

Told he had sustained a season-ending leg injury in the Bulldogs’ 49-35 win over Maine South in the Aug. 21 opener, Brown made a good call and decided that he wanted a second opinion.

The senior linebacker defied the odds and now he’s beating them — at a new position.

“I thought I tweaked it a little bit on an outside run,” Brown said of a play during the first half. “Felt kind of a pop and kept playing, but had to come out in the third quarter.

“The first doctor I went to told me I was done. I went to another one in Chicago. He told me a brace was definitely an option, so I took that route because I’m still unsure about playing college football. If this is the end, I want to make with what’s do and go out there and give it my all.”

After missing three games, Brown returned to action at home Friday night, lining up at defensive end for Batavia in a DuKane Conference showdown against visiting St. Charles North.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Brown looked like a natural as he made six solo tackles, including three for loss. He also had 1 1/2 sacks and was credited with seven quarterback pressures.

He thought he might be limited to only a half of action but was available for most of the 70-plus snaps the Bulldogs faced on defense in a wild 55-35 victory.

“It felt really good with the brace,” Brown said. “Playing defensive end, it’s not as much lateral movement, so it’s easier on me.”

Inspired by his brother Ron, who is three years older and also played linebacker for the Bulldogs, Jack Brown grew up around Batavia football.

As a junior, Brown earned special mention all-conference honors after posting 68 tackles, 20 hurries, nine passes defended, 3 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

“I was devastated,” Brown said of the initial diagnosis. “At the same time, I knew there’s gotta be another option. This doctor can’t have like the final say.”

His parents, Ron and Marsha, supported his decision, according to Jack.

“They respected it,” he said. “They didn’t want me pleasing other people but made sure I was in a safe spot.”

Defensive coordinator Matt Holm, who also lost a lineman and a cornerback to injuries in that same game, was hopeful about Brown’s return.

“In the old days it was, ‘You’re done,’ and you didn’t even think about it,” Holm said. “Now it’s, ‘We’ll see what he can do with the brace.’

“I was worried about resistance on the knee when he had contact, but he kept saying he was fine.”

Holm even moved Brown to nose guard for a key goal-line stand in the second half.

“He just blows the center up,” Holm said of Brown. “I moved him there for speed and he drove the center right back into the quarterback. I thought, ‘Yeah, he’s fine.’”

Holm was mostly concerned with Brown’s lateral movement, hence the move to the line.

“He could be more vertical and that would be easier,” Holm said. “I’m not writing it off that he goes back to linebacker by the end of the year.

“But if he’s being dominant where he’s at right now, I’m not sure I want to mess with that, either.”

Amaree Daniels, a 6-0, 215-pound senior who can also play linebacker, was on the opposite end of the line Friday and made six tackles with a sack and six hurries.

“The defensive line was fantastic,” Holm said. ” And Jack and Amaree, of course, led that.”

Batavia coach Dennis Piron marveled at Brown’s performance.

“It’s rather inconceivable Jack’s even playing but he is and playing extremely well,” Piron said. “You wouldn’t have known he was injured at all.

“If last week is any indication, he was one of our best players on defense.”