Austin Brawner

Patrick Laverty

Entering Friday’s game against Troy High, Corona del Mar tailback

Austin Brawner had 10 career varsity carries for 18 yards.

He had shown potential. First, in a preseason scrimmage in 2002,

his sophomore year, when he posted touchdown runs of 40 and 5 yards.

Then again in this season’s preseason scrimmage, he ran for 53 yards

on five carries.

But in his first significant varsity action, after receiving five

carries late in the 2002 season opener, Brawner gained just 12 yards

on five carries in Corona del Mar’s season-opening victory over Costa

Mesa.

After his performance against Troy, however, the term potential no

longer applies to Brawner.

The 6-foot, 180-pound junior rushed for 198 yards on 24 carries

and scored two touchdowns as the Sea Kings won, 22-7, to remain

unbeaten through two games.

Brawner’s total was just part of the 314 yards on 55 carries that

Corona del Mar gained on the ground, an impressive number after the

Sea Kings gained just 36 yards on 20 attempts against Costa Mesa.

“We were kind of disappointed in the first game,” Brawner said.

“We knew our running game was really strong and we wanted to come out

and prove it.”

Brawner has had success before out of the backfield. As a

freshman, he rushed for four touchdowns in a game and also scored a

98-yard touchdown.

His success in the preseason scrimmage as a sophomore only

heightened the expectations.

“I was really excited,” Brawner said. “I was looking forward to

seeing what varsity was like.”

But last season, Corona del Mar had senior tailback Mark

Cianciulli, which limited Brawner to mop-up duty with the varsity

team.

Playing on the junior varsity squad, Brawner tore ligaments in his

knee in the third week of the season, ending his year.

Surprisingly, Brawner was running again within three months and,

as he showed Friday, there are no repercussions from the injury.

Brawner ran inside and outside. He had short gains and long. But

like any good running back, he gave a lot of the credit to his

blockers, who created holes much larger than they had in Week 1.

“There was a huge difference,” Brawner said. “The linemen really

stepped it up.”

His unselfishness showed in other ways too. Late in the game, with

primary fullback Zach Wishengrad unable to come off the field on

defense because of a shortage of linebackers, Brawner told Sea Kings

Coach Dick Freeman he would play fullback and block for fellow ball

carriers Wess Presson and Brett Crowley.

It’s a trait that will serve Brawner well as he will continue to

share carries despite his breakthrough performance last week.

“We have a really interesting backfield with me and Wess,” Brawner

said. “We have a lot of options.”

The options increased immensely after a poor ground performance

against Costa Mesa forced first-year quarterback Tom Welch to throw

three touchdown passes, including two to his twin brother Kevin, in

order to pull out the victory.

Now, the Sea Kings will attempt to combine their success in the

two areas of offense into one game.

“To tell the truth, it’s going to be a lot of variety,” Brawner

said. “We have a lot of weapons. Obviously, [we have] the Welches,

and then me and Wess in the backfield.”