JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
Mike Brooks is often the smallest player on the field.
At 5-7 and 155 pounds, Solanco’s senior dual threat is easy to miss.
He’s even tougher to take down when he’s got the football in his hands.
Brooks made plenty of Lebanon defenders miss last Friday night, when he carried 11 times for 148 yards, had touchdowns runs of 62 and 10 yards, respectively, and returned a punt 75 yards for a third score in the Golden Mules’ 35-16 victory in Quarryville.
Solanco’s victory, coupled with Cocalico’s 35-21 upset over Elizabethtown, gave the Mules a share of the Section 2 championship with E-town. It was the first time since 1991 that Solanco had at least a share of the section crown, and Brooks has had a lot to do with that.
He has amassed 1,594 all-purpose yards – 661 rushing, 270 receiving on 19 catches, 517 in returns and 146 on interception runbacks – and averages 32.1 yards on kick returns and 21.7 yards on punt returns. And he’s scored a team-high 12 touchdowns, as Solanco went 6-1 in Section 2 and is 7-3 overall heading into Friday’s District 3 Triple-A playoff opener at West York.
“He’s our game-breaker,” Solanco coach Joe Pearson said of Brooks. “He takes pride in the fact that, yeah, he might be small, but he’s not going down. When push comes to shove, he’ll look at me and say, ‘Hey Coach, I’ll take the ball.’ You love kids like that; kids who want the ball and can make plays with the ball. And that’s Mike – he’s a playmaker.”
After flashing his playmaking skills against Lebanon, Brooks took five to answer the New Era’s Five Questions:
SECTION 2 CHAMPS. NICE RING TO IT, EH?
“It means a lot to the school and a lot to the football program, and it shows you how much Coach Pearson has done to help get us here. Even after the loss to E-town, we still had big goals, and we knew we had a shot at the playoffs. That kept us going, and we kept focusing on what we were doing, and now we’re in Districts. Solanco in Districts … we want to go out and gain respect around the district.”
SOLANCO 28, MANHEIM CENTRAL 7 ON SEPT. 28. HAS THAT EVEN SUNKEN IN YET?
“Man, that was great. I was more excited when we beat them than when we won the section, actually. I don’t even know why. Central has been beating us so badly for so many years, and all of a sudden, this year we came out and finally beat them. It was a great, great feeling.”
SO HOW DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO WITH THAT 5-7, 155-POUND FRAME?
“I use my speed (Brooks runs a 4.4 in the 40) and try and get to the outside and make good cuts and make people miss. I like to think a lot before a game to be prepared. You have to think you can do it and know that you can do it. Before a game I like to think about every play and what can happen. That’s a big thing for me. I think about every situation, every way possible, so when I’m in that situation, I know what to do.”
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT COACH PEARSON THAT WE MIGHT NOT KNOW. IT’S OK, HE’S NOT LISTENING.
“He does what’s good for the program, and he’s all about teamwork and building the program the right way. He cares about everybody. And he’s a good guy off the field. He’ll do whatever he can to help you out. He puts a lot of work in here.”
FRIDAY NIGHT, GAME’S OVER. WHAT’S DOING IN QUARRYVILLE?
“After games on Fridays we usually go to Sam’s Pizza. Everybody gets pizza. Sometimes the parents will pay, or everybody will pitch in for pizza and we all just hang out there. Then we usually go somewhere and play Halo.”
