H-S Athlete of the Week: Enzo Brown, Beth-Center
NAME: Enzo Brown
SCHOOL: Beth-Center
CLASS: Junior
SPORT: Football
BROWN’S WEEK: Brown carried the football 16 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns to help Beth-Center earn a 35-0 victory over West Greene at Kennedy Field. The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Class A Tri-County South Conference. His TDs came on runs of 71, 40 and 53 yards. The win keeps Beth-Center tied atop the standings with California (2-0, 3-2). For the season, Brown has run the ball 63 times for 712 yards and caught eight passes for another 130 yards. He leads the Herald-Standard Touchdown Club standings with 80 points, coming on 11 TDs and one two-point conversion.
NORTH-SOUTH RUNNER: Brown’s is a no-frills halfback. “I like to hit the hole hard and run straight ahead,” said the 16-year-old son of Sonny and Amy Brown. “I don’t really like to dance around. I just get the ball, read my blockers and go.” Teammate DeSean Whipkey, who is second in the TD Club with 68 points, is known for his great speed, but Brown is fairly quick also. “I think I’m pretty fast.” Brown gives credit to his offensive line. “My big boys up front, they blocked their tails off,” Brown said of the game against the Pioneers. “I wouldn’t have gotten any yards if it wasn’t for them.” It wasn’t a perfect game for Brown. “I had a fumble actually, the second drive of the game down at the 1-yard line, and they recovered it in the end zone,” which resulted in a touchback with West Greene getting possession at its own 20. “I was ticked off. But you just try to forget about it, not let it affect you, and go on to the next play.”
B-C STYLE: Brown isn’t a tall player, but he’s solid and physical. “I’m probably around 5-8, 5-8 and a half, somewhere around there, and weigh around 185, 190,” Brown said. “I was at 180 at the beginning of the year.” Brown is an avid weight-lifter. “I’m lifting year round.” He plays middle linebacker on defense and likes to uphold a Bulldogs tradition. “We’re always told Beth-Center football is hard hitting and we try to hit hard on every single play,” Brown said. “I like running the ball of course, but I really like playing defense, too. It’s awesome, so fun.”
BUILD UP TO 2026: Last year the Bulldogs were 3-7 overall and 3-4 in the TCS, finishing in a tie for fourth place with Avella and Carmichaels. The Eagles were chosen as a wild card entrant for the WPIAL playoffs. “This year, we knew from the start we had a great team,” Brown said. “We should’ve been this type of team last year, but a lot of games we made mistakes, some of them mental mistakes that lost us games. This year we’re better, we’re confident, we know we can be dominant, and our coaches know that, too. They have faith in us.”
TASK AT HAND: One of the keys to Beth-Center’s success so far this year is focusing on one game at a time, something second-year head coach Tim Trump stresses. The Bulldogs end the regular season at home against defending TCS champion California, but Brown isn’t concerned with that game at the moment. “Our coaches tell us every week not to look ahead,” Brown said. “Don’t look past the team in front of you. No matter what their record is, play every game just the same. They’re never looking into the future, every week they’re watching film of who we got next, who we’re playing Friday.” While California is a rival, so is Week Six opponent, Jefferson-Morgan. “It’s always been Jefferson and Cal,” Brown said. “California maybe a little moreso, it’s a little bit closer, like seven-to-10 minutes away, but we’re big rivals with Jefferson, too. We’ll definitely be ready for that game.”
BACK IN TIME: Brown has been playing football since he was 5 years old. “I’ve been playing 11 years, always been a running back,” he said. “I think it was kindergarten or maybe first grade, whenever you were first allowed to play tackle football, that’s when I started. When we won our first youth championship in, I think it was fourth grade, I knew we had something special. It’s that same group now, my class and the group of seniors above us. We’re doing it again.”
ALL-SEASON ATHLETE: Brown is a three-sport letterman at Beth-Center. “I play basketball and baseball, too” he pointed out. “I like football the best, but I like playing the other sports. I’m a guard in basketball. I played a good bit last year and think I’ll be starting this year. I’m a starting center fielder in baseball.”
ODDS AND ENDS: Brown enjoys playing for Trump. “I love that guy,” he said. “He’s hard on us but he’s hilarious, too. Like, if we walk over to get water and walk back, he’s screaming, ‘No walking on my field!’ He keeps us ready. He’s a good coach.” … Brown would like to play at the next level. “I want to play college football,” he said. “I haven’t really talked to any schools or coaches yet, but that’s a goal of mine, to play in college.” … When it comes to eating, Brown can’t stay away from Chipolte Mexican Grill. “I love Chipolte,” he admitted. “I go about two or three times a week. Their food is so good.” His go-to meal? “I get a bowl of white rice, triple chicken and queso.”
– Compiled by Rob Burchianti