While the Tigers have a long history of winning football teams, the two seniors now will help establish a solid foundation for their respective college squads.
A three-year starter at center, the 6’2’, 210 lb. Crane committed to Huntingdon College in Montgomery.
In just their third season of football, the Hawks posted an impressive 7-2 record in 2005.
A two-year starter at cornerback, the 5’10”, 170 lb. Browning will suit up for LaGrange College in Georgia, about a three-hour drive southeast from L.D. Bruce Field on the Alabama/Georgia state line.
Browning’s team is still in the newborn stage, as the Panthers will field their inaugural football team this fall.
Last season, Crane and his mates on the offensive line paved the way for All-State and two-time Class 1A Player of the Year finalist Jeremy Bryant’s school-record 2,586 rush-ing yards.
Browning and his defensive partners allowed only 14 points per game during the regular season while posting two shutouts. Browning had three interceptions.
Both players were named to the All-County and All-Region teams over the last two seasons.
The ’05 Cedar Bluff squad put together an undefeated regular season and posted a school-record 12 wins. Just as impressive was the Tigers’ 35-2 region record over the past two years with Crane and Browning in the starting lineup.
Cedar Bluff ended the ’05 season as the state’s sixth ranked team. In the state playoffs, the Tigers defeated Donoho and Hazlewood before falling to No. 1 ranked Wadley.
“I visited the school back in March, and I liked the campus and I liked [head] coach [Mike] Turk, so I decided [to commit] pretty soon after that,” said Crane. “Coach [Turk] said that he’ll try me at tight end and defensive end. It’s really a dream come true to play college ball. I’ve worked for this all my life, and I’m really looking forward to getting down there and getting started.”
Crane plans to major in sports medicine.
“[Head] coach [Todd] Mooney sent me a few letters after the season, and I sent him a highlight tape,” said Browning. “I always wanted to play at the next level, and it’s going to be exciting to be a part of the [program’s] first team.”
Browning is undecided for a major.
Turk noted that Crane’s first-team resume and Cedar Bluff’s propensity for winning stoked Turk’s interest.
“Tyler’s a kid who has started for a while, and we like to get kids that have played a lot of games. It also matters that he comes from a successful program. When you get a kid from a program like that, he has an idea of what it takes to be successful. Tyler’s also got a good football mind, and that will work very much in his favor.”
Crane and Browning are the first players of Cedar Bluff head football coach Jonathan McWhorter program to play college football.
“I’ve been telling Tyler and Joey that [playing] football won’t be the hardest thing that they’ll be doing,” said McWhorter. “Keeping their grades is the most important thing. Both kids are very fortunate to have part of their college tuition paid for. They’ll have to get the job done academically and then get to play some ball and have a little fun. [Huntingdon and LaGrange] are good academic schools, so they’ll be pretty well off in that area. Tyler and Joey are two character kids who led by example for us. They always did what they were supposed to do, both on the field and in the classroom. They’ve contributed a lot to our success, and they’ll be missed.”
The soon-to-be former teammates won’t have to wait until the holiday semester break to catch up, as Huntingdon and LaGrange are Great South Athletic Conference foes who will meet on Oct. 28 in Mont-gomery.
“It’s going to be fun,” said Crane. “We’ve gone against each other in practice, but a game is totally different.”
“I’m a defensive back, and if Tyler winds up at tight end, I’m sure that we’ll run into each other during the game,” said Browning
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