Brandon Scott of Charleston is the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week.

Brandon Scott is emerging as a star after beginning the season as a backup quarterback for Charleston.

The sophomore faced his toughest opponent in Cedarville, undefeated and with the state’s leading rusher in the backfield. The Pirates were trying to start 5-0 for the first time in school history and beat Charleston for the first time since 1985.

But Scott led the way as the Tigers defeated Cedarville 3634 to continue their long dominance over the Pirates.

“We knew Cedarville had a really good team,” Scott said. “But we couldn’t let this be the year they finally beat us.”

Scott completed 11 of 15 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest throw came after Cedarville took advantage of a fumbled kickoff to tie the game 28-28 in the fourth quarter. Scott then connected with senior Dalton Curtis for a 31-yard touchdown on 4th-and-19 to give Charleston (3-2, 2-0) the lead for good with about five minutes to play.

For his effort, Scott is the

Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week.

“He’s just a winner,” Charleston coach Ricky May said of his sophomore quarterback. “That’s the best way I can describe Brandon.”

Scott flashed his ability to make big plays last year on the basketball court when he made a game-winning 3-pointer to beat Elkins 51-50. But he began his sophomore season as a backup after Curtis won the job at quarterback.

That changed after Curtis missed a game while being quarantined against covid-19. Scott showed he could handle the job and Curtis moved to wide receiver, where he caught both touchdown passes from Scott in the win over Cedarville (4-1, 1-1).

“Dalton kept getting open,” Scott said. “He’s a good receiver. He’s a good quarterback, too.”

Scott shook off a couple of sacks in the first half and finished with 57 yards rushing on 17 carries. He scored on an 11-yard run and threw touchdown passes of 23 and 31 yards to Curtis to hold off Cedarville, which scored with 20 seconds left but failed on a two-point conversion attempt to tie the game.

“Brandon is cool under pressure at quarterback and he’s scary athletic,” May said. “It’s a move that’s worked out pretty well for us.”

Scott