CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The stakes of high school football games change as much from August to October as the weather they're played in.
So while Bradley Central senior Gage Anderson was happy to see the Bears showcase a cupboard stocked with playmakers Thursday night in a 53-13 home win against Brainerd to open the season, as part of a program with a dozen straight playoff appearances but just one run beyond the second round in that stretch, he was far from satisfied.
"This means nothing," Anderson said. "We have to keep working and get even better. This was a great start, but it's just the beginning."
That last sentence might also describe the play of junior quarterback Alex Walker, who impressed in his debut by throwing four touchdown passes, all in the first half and to different receivers.
After an early miscue by the Bears on special teams helped set up a 4-yard run by Brainerd sophomore Martels Carter Jr., who dove over two defenders to the right pylon to complete a touchdown drive that made it 7-all, Bradley Central looked every bit of a state power the rest of the way.
Senior captain Knox Watson recovered the Panthers' fumble on the first possession of the game, with the middle linebacker then moving over to offense for the Bears to catch Walker's first touchdown pass.
Walker's most impressive throw came when he stepped up in the pocket with the play breaking down on the right side of the field to hit sophomore J'Alan Terry, who made the 20-yard reception falling backwards into the end zone for a touchdown. Walker finished 7-of-10 for 87 yards, with Jackson Wilson and Damarius Ballard catching his other touchdown passes.
"Alex handled his first start really well," Bears coach Damon Floyd said. "He spread the ball around and made a nice play when things broke down on the pass to Terry. We have some explosive playmakers, and the game changed quick because of them."
Terry consistently gashed Brainerd's defense, gaining 97 yards on eight first-half touches that included a hard-nosed 12-yard touchdown run to make it 46-7 with 7:13 left before halftime. Wilson totaled 70 yards on 12 touches.
Bradley Central junior Marcus Goree Jr. went untouched on an explosive 61-yard return on a free kick -- the Panthers punted -- after Gage Anderson had a sack for one of two safeties for the Bears' defense in the first half.
Brainerd's Reggie Hubbard had a 29-yard catch and made some nice plays in space, while Cameron Sanders had a second-half touchdown run for the visitors, who were flagged 13 times in the first half.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.