It’s Brandon’s turn to be Wood’s best Peoples

Guys are always supposed to look out for their brothers, right? Keep them safe from harm. Make sure everything's cool.

For Brandon Peoples, when he wasn't sparking Archbishop Wood's 12-0 football team to a third consecutive Class AAA City Title with a 44-7 thumping of Murrell Dobbins Tech 2 days ago at Northeast High, he found himself caring for a first cousin who might as well be his brother.

"We're very close," Peoples said. "So this was a rough week."

Peoples spoke after performing two main tasks: Pushing the pigskin into the end zone - he carried 14 times for 123 yards and three touchdowns - and Desmon around the field in a wheelchair.

Both players are juniors. Both are also transfers, Desmon from St. Joseph's Prep (he lives in Cheltenham and played there in ninth grade) and Brandon from nearby Abington. And under normal circumstances their respective positions in a high-powered offense packed with big, ornery grunts to help get things done are tailback and fullback.

Alas, Desmon suffered a left-foot injury late in last week's win over Cardinal O'Hara for the Catholic League AAA crown and that created a void, plus a change in duties for the 5-10, 175-pound Brandon.

Sorta.

"With him not out there, it was kind of different," Brandon said. "But I've been getting carries at fullback, so the only real big difference was that I had another lead blocker. I was taking on his role. I was playing for him. And to help us get into the states, which was where we all wanted to be.

"I tried not to do too much. Follow my blockers. Play within my limits. Try not to make each run a highlight.

"Though everybody in the family was down this week, at the same time we were up because we still had a Peoples on the field. They all just told me to finish the job."

Brandon's father, Darrien, earned third-team All-City honors at running back for Abraham Lincoln in 1992, and then performed so well at Kutztown that he was recently inducted into that school's Hall of Fame. Desmon's dad, Charlie, was a first-team honoree in 1988 (same school/position) and then starred at Indiana (Pa.) as a rusher/returner.

Once Desmon decided to transfer to Wood in late summer, Brandon followed shortly thereafter.

"The last time we played together was in the eighth grade with the Oak Lane Wildcats," Brandon said. "We really wanted to do it again. It wasn't very hard at all [to enroll at Wood]. Our dads needed only a week to figure out how we were going to do it."

Wood's barrage began in the smallest way possible as Michael Frendak blocked a punt through the end zone. Then came a pair of 3-yard touchdowns - first a run, then a pass from Joey Monaghan - for sophomore Andrew Guckin, who was notching his first scrimmage touches of the season.

Peoples' 9-yarder made it 30-0 on the first play of the second quarter and Jon Vicari's fumble recovery produced another possession one scrimmage play later. After a hold wiped out a tremendous, 17-yard, scramble TD by Monaghan (almost sacked, bobs, weaves, etc.), Peoples dashed home from the 31 and, like Desmon is wont to do, held out the ball as he entered the end zone.

No, he didn't drop it. But he did lose two fumbles over the course of the evening.

"I know. I'm mad about that," he said, smiling. "I held the ball too loose. The first one was all my fault. I was trying to get extra yardage and . . . The second time I didn't get it cleanly.

"The coaches have told me to fall asleep with a ball in my hands. And every time I lose one in practice, I have to do five up-downs. Only had to do it once last week."

Dobbins' score, against Wood's second-team defense, was posted by fullback Aaron Walker on a 27-yard run 8 minutes, 11 seconds before halftime. Once Peoples scurried for a 13-yard score 3:05 into the third quarter, the rest of the game was played with a running clock.

Monaghan finished 7-for-10 for 121 yards, most of them to Sam McCain (5-108). Guckin's five touches produced 79 yards and the two scores.

In a state quarterfinal 2 weekends hence, Wood will play the winner of this week's District 1 final featuring Strath Haven and Pottsgrove. Desmon hopes to be back. Brandon, he of the tired arm muscles, would love that also.

After pushing Desmon through the postgame handshake line, Brandon kidded, "He's heavy in that seat."