AUBURN - Everyone can see that his numbers are ridiculous. He's found the end zone 28 times so far this season - more than any one player in Section III. He's scored more touchdowns alone than every area team with the exception of Weedsport. His 1,600 yards are second to Baldwinsville's Malik Burks in the section. Twice this season, he has scored seven touchdowns in a game, and has approached or surpassed 300 yards a handful of times throughout the seven-game regular season.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Ismail Brooks celebrates after scoring a touchdown against West Genesee on Oct. 3.
Ismail Brooks celebrates after scoring a touchdown against West Genesee on Oct. 3.
But in the mix of all of the numbers and statistics, the only one that has mattered for the Auburn High School football team is zero - the number of times that running back Ismail Brooks has put himself and his stats ahead of the team.
Both his selflessness and overflowing talent will be put into play as the Maroons prepare for their rematch with Christian Brothers Academy on Friday night in the first round of the Section III, Class AA playoffs. The Section III, Class AA-2 division champs will host the seventh-seeded Brothers, who overran the No. 2 Maroons in the first week of the season, 48-21.
Brooks and the Maroons are prepared to show CBA that they are a different team now than when Auburn helped the Brothers christen their new football field in Syracuse.
“We're a very different team now - I think back with that game, it seems like three years ago now,” Auburn head coach Dave Moskov said. “ Fundamentally, we're a lot more sound. In terms of tackling, we're not giving up those huge plays like we were at the beginning of the year. Even against (winless) Central Square, people were ripping us for big plays. That's just not fundamentally sound. Offensively, we've been more consistent. We've been looking at different segments of those games, like against Henninger, we made mistakes throughout. (Against) Utica we made mistakes and let them climb back in and West Genny, we took care of business in the third quarter. It's bits and pieces throughout. Basically, we've got to have more like a Corcoran-type deal where we play four good quarters. You can't spot a team 20 points and say, ‘OK, let's go play.' If we come out healthy and ready to play, we can battle with anybody.”
In two Auburn losses this season, a deciding factor - though not the only one - has been how productive Brooks had been in finding the end zone.
He scored just once in a shutdown loss to Henninger and twice in the loss to CBA, but four times or more in four of the five wins.
“I've never really thought about that,” Brooks said. “I try not to. I just go out there and help out my team, do my job and stay focused.”
The Brothers will undoubtedly once again focus on Brooks, something he's gotten comfortable with.
“It becomes a little difficult sometimes when a defense will just key in on me and put more people in the box,” Brooks said. “But that frees up other people so it doesn't bother me as much - it makes me want to work harder.”
As the Brothers will find out Friday night, Auburn has piled up several more offensive weapons over the course of the season, players that have been able to step up in those rare instances where Brooks has struggled.
“That's been the great part of this offense,” Moskov said. “(Offensive coordinator) Mike Pesarchick has been able to say, ‘Hey, we know what defenses are going to do, they're going to focus on this guy and what does that open up here, here and here.' It's enabled us to do a lot of things with those other guys.”
Those “other guys” include quarterback Dave Jacobs, wide receiver Julaun Richardson (Brooks' cousin) and running back JT Foltz.
“It makes it a lot easier, because I'm not the only playmaker on this team,” Brooks said.
“Those guys know that some teams will be keying on me and they will be free - and the next thing I know, JT is popping off a run, or Julaun is making a big catch in the end zone or Dave is running for a touchdown or passing for a touchdown or even blocking on some plays. I tell them that they are just a big part of this team as I am. There's no man above this team. It's we not me.”
Brooks' unselfish attitude has been consistent this season, crediting offensive lineman Dom Sedlack, Adam Hurd, Dauson Cogar, Phil Cooper and Brenden Raftis after each game for every one of his scoring scampers.
“Those guys work hard every day,” Brooks said. “I notice that when I'm running routes or just running around. I see them out there killing each other every day in practice, picking up each other and going back at each other again, pushing that sled around the field every single day. It looks so tiring, and I give those guys all the credit.”
As much as Brooks would rather dole out credit to everyone else on his team, there is no denying his incredible level of productivity.
“There are no official records,” Moskov said. “But we've compiled our best backs in the 13 years that I've been here and I think it's fair to say that he's the most productive back in the history of the school. I don't know that there's ever been a back that produced like that ever. In terms of production, the only other name that comes up from the section is (Onondaga's Mike Hart), so if you look at all of the great backs that have come out of this section, Hart is the best and (Brooks) is mentioned in the same sentence as him.”
Brooks will be the first to say that he is not the same player as Hart, who went on to a prolific career at Michigan and was most recently in the NFL, but he believes he has a chance to be better.
It's something he wasn't able to foresee when he was a freshman at Auburn, playing on the JV team and watching another Maroons running back tear up Holland Stadium.
“When I was younger, I used to watch (Quendel Ellison) and look up to him and just try to imitate all the stuff he did,” Brooks said of his friend, who helped Auburn win a 2006 state title. “I'd come to see him at his games, watch him and think that he was a really good player and that I would like to build myself to be as great as him, or even greater.”
Over the last three seasons that Brooks has been with the varsity squad, he has propelled himself from a little-known talent to one of the biggest backfield threats in Section III.
Division I football teams are taking notice, calling more frequently to inquire about the player with the unbelievable numbers - the same player that shrugs it all off.
“I never really thought about any of that,” Brooks said. “I just wanted to get out of here, go to school and get a good education and make my mom proud. She is always coming to my games to see me play and she just wants to see me graduate and do well for myself.”
“(Brooks' good attitude) is a credit to him, his mom and his family. He's connected to bigger things than just himself,” Moskov said. “He sees the big picture. I see it in school, how appreciative he is of people willing to go out of their way to give him an extra hand. He understands that people care about him, and he cares about people.”
Both his selflessness and overflowing talent will be put into play as the Maroons prepare for their rematch with Christian Brothers Academy on Friday night in the first round of the Section III, Class AA playoffs. The Section III, Class AA-2 division champs will host the seventh-seeded Brothers, who overran the No. 2 Maroons in the first week of the season, 48-21.
Brooks and the Maroons are prepared to show CBA that they are a different team now than when Auburn helped the Brothers christen their new football field in Syracuse.
“We're a very different team now - I think back with that game, it seems like three years ago now,” Auburn head coach Dave Moskov said. “ Fundamentally, we're a lot more sound. In terms of tackling, we're not giving up those huge plays like we were at the beginning of the year. Even against (winless) Central Square, people were ripping us for big plays. That's just not fundamentally sound. Offensively, we've been more consistent. We've been looking at different segments of those games, like against Henninger, we made mistakes throughout. (Against) Utica we made mistakes and let them climb back in and West Genny, we took care of business in the third quarter. It's bits and pieces throughout. Basically, we've got to have more like a Corcoran-type deal where we play four good quarters. You can't spot a team 20 points and say, ‘OK, let's go play.' If we come out healthy and ready to play, we can battle with anybody.”
In two Auburn losses this season, a deciding factor - though not the only one - has been how productive Brooks had been in finding the end zone.
He scored just once in a shutdown loss to Henninger and twice in the loss to CBA, but four times or more in four of the five wins.
“I've never really thought about that,” Brooks said. “I try not to. I just go out there and help out my team, do my job and stay focused.”
The Brothers will undoubtedly once again focus on Brooks, something he's gotten comfortable with.
“It becomes a little difficult sometimes when a defense will just key in on me and put more people in the box,” Brooks said. “But that frees up other people so it doesn't bother me as much - it makes me want to work harder.”
As the Brothers will find out Friday night, Auburn has piled up several more offensive weapons over the course of the season, players that have been able to step up in those rare instances where Brooks has struggled.
“That's been the great part of this offense,” Moskov said. “(Offensive coordinator) Mike Pesarchick has been able to say, ‘Hey, we know what defenses are going to do, they're going to focus on this guy and what does that open up here, here and here.' It's enabled us to do a lot of things with those other guys.”
Those “other guys” include quarterback Dave Jacobs, wide receiver Julaun Richardson (Brooks' cousin) and running back JT Foltz.
“It makes it a lot easier, because I'm not the only playmaker on this team,” Brooks said.
“Those guys know that some teams will be keying on me and they will be free - and the next thing I know, JT is popping off a run, or Julaun is making a big catch in the end zone or Dave is running for a touchdown or passing for a touchdown or even blocking on some plays. I tell them that they are just a big part of this team as I am. There's no man above this team. It's we not me.”
Brooks' unselfish attitude has been consistent this season, crediting offensive lineman Dom Sedlack, Adam Hurd, Dauson Cogar, Phil Cooper and Brenden Raftis after each game for every one of his scoring scampers.
“Those guys work hard every day,” Brooks said. “I notice that when I'm running routes or just running around. I see them out there killing each other every day in practice, picking up each other and going back at each other again, pushing that sled around the field every single day. It looks so tiring, and I give those guys all the credit.”
As much as Brooks would rather dole out credit to everyone else on his team, there is no denying his incredible level of productivity.
“There are no official records,” Moskov said. “But we've compiled our best backs in the 13 years that I've been here and I think it's fair to say that he's the most productive back in the history of the school. I don't know that there's ever been a back that produced like that ever. In terms of production, the only other name that comes up from the section is (Onondaga's Mike Hart), so if you look at all of the great backs that have come out of this section, Hart is the best and (Brooks) is mentioned in the same sentence as him.”
Brooks will be the first to say that he is not the same player as Hart, who went on to a prolific career at Michigan and was most recently in the NFL, but he believes he has a chance to be better.
It's something he wasn't able to foresee when he was a freshman at Auburn, playing on the JV team and watching another Maroons running back tear up Holland Stadium.
“When I was younger, I used to watch (Quendel Ellison) and look up to him and just try to imitate all the stuff he did,” Brooks said of his friend, who helped Auburn win a 2006 state title. “I'd come to see him at his games, watch him and think that he was a really good player and that I would like to build myself to be as great as him, or even greater.”
Over the last three seasons that Brooks has been with the varsity squad, he has propelled himself from a little-known talent to one of the biggest backfield threats in Section III.
Division I football teams are taking notice, calling more frequently to inquire about the player with the unbelievable numbers - the same player that shrugs it all off.
“I never really thought about any of that,” Brooks said. “I just wanted to get out of here, go to school and get a good education and make my mom proud. She is always coming to my games to see me play and she just wants to see me graduate and do well for myself.”
“(Brooks' good attitude) is a credit to him, his mom and his family. He's connected to bigger things than just himself,” Moskov said. “He sees the big picture. I see it in school, how appreciative he is of people willing to go out of their way to give him an extra hand. He understands that people care about him, and he cares about people.”
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