Wasson transfer Brown primed for Palmer debut

You could call Seth Brown the secret weapon for Palmer. Then again, he’s anything but a secret. He’s so good, opposing teams fought to keep him off the field as long as possible.

The Division I prospect will make his season debut Thursday when Palmer faces 5A Pikes Peak No. 2 Rampart in the Metro League opener at District 20 Stadium, optimistic he can create an impact after missing the first five games because he transferred from Wasson.

A senior running back and free safety, Brown has been stuck on the sidelines during an 0-5 start by Palmer, along with former Sierra running back and cornerback Tra Charity, in accordance with Colorado High School Activities Association transfer rules. Palmer filed an appeal of the five-game ban, citing the firing of Brown’s father, Harold, as Wasson’s coach as the reason behind the transfer, however, area athletic directors voted against it.

Now Brown, named a second-team 3A Southern all-league selection last season, will line up with captain Reiko Moss in the backfield, helping take some pressure off quarterback Eddie Bacalane, whose offense has generated two touchdowns the past four weeks. And his presence also should lighten the load for linebacker Tanner Humphrey and cornerback Shayne Justice, other captains taken to the limit with Palmer giving up 41 points a game.

“I’m ready to be back on the field with my teammates and go to battle with them,” said Brown, who has visited BYU and has attracted attention from Air Force, Colorado State and Weber State. He added, “I do know my role in this offense, and I’m comfortable with what the coaches want me to do. The players on the team have my back, and I’m thankful for that. … Whatever the coaches need me to do is what I’m going to do.”

Brown treaded lightly around questions about the vote by the athletic directors, with the outcome probably as much a result of the move by his father, a 1983 free-agent signee by the Washington Redskins who was hired as assistant head coach under new Palmer coach Doug Miolen. “I don’t regret my decision going to Palmer,” Seth Brown said, adding that the Terrors are “getting better every day. We’re working hard. I believe in my team.”

Miolen disagreed with the majority ruling by the athletic directors. “They’re asking a kid to go back and play at a school that fired his dad. That’s insane,” Miolen said. “We talk about an education and what’s best for kids. And we do what’s best for kids. But in this instance, we didn’t do what was best for a 17-year-old man.”

On offense, Brown is a “really good downhill runner. He’s shifty,” Miolen said. “And he can throw the football. He’s extremely versatile. He can catch it. He has great hands. He has better-than-average speed.” On defense, “he’s a hard hitter,” Miolen said. “And he is extremely smart, helping get other people in the right spots. He’s a great communicator.”

For Miolen, Moss and Brown are “1A and 1B” on the depth chart. All year, “it has been easy to game plan for us – Reiko is getting the ball,” Miolen said. Brown should “allow other kids to get a rest and not have to do so much,” he said, terming Brown “the ultimate complement to what we already have. … He’s the missing link to us being successful.”

Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com. Twitter: #cspreps. Facebook: Brian Gomez. For more preps coverage, visit www.gazettepreps.com