CHAMPAIGN — Carson Brownfield left Homewood-Flossmoor after his freshman year.
But not for long.
After a year away playing for St. Rita, Brownfield returned to his hometown school, confident that he could lead H-F to new heights. And that’s exactly what the senior forward did.
“Once a Viking, always a Viking,” Brownfield said. “I just really believed in my community, the alumni and everybody. We really made a change, and I’m just proud I was able to be a part of it.”
That change reached its pinnacle Saturday night.
Brownfield scored 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds as H-F won the first state title in program history with a 60-48 win over Normal Community in the Class 4A championship game.
Bryce Heard led H-F (33-4) with 21 points and 10 rebounds at the State Farm Center. Jayden Tyler added 15 points and seven rebounds and Gianni Cobb chipped in with eight points.
“We’re forever marked in history,” H-F coach Jamere Dismukes said. “We’re legends. These kids are legends. Being able to do something that two NBA players didn’t accomplish, that’s huge.
“It means everything to us, our community, our school and me as a head coach.”
It’s the first state championship in boys basketball for a school from the south suburbs since Hillcrest won the Class 3A title in the 2009-10 season.
Braylon Roman scored 18 points to lead Normal Community (32-6).
After H-F struggled mightily on offense in Friday’s semifinal victory over New Trier, which was tied 11-11 at halftime, the championship game could not have been more of an opposite affair.
Brownfield helped the Vikings get off to a strong start, scoring five of their 21 points in the first quarter. H-F was mostly in control from there, its lead never going below five points.
With 3:33 to play in the fourth quarter, Brownfield scored on a drive to the basket to give the Vikings a 53-43 lead, and the party was pretty much on for the Vikings.
Heard, who started his career at Kenwood before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida and then returning to Illinois this season to join H-F, made sure the Vikings would finish things off by turning in a dominant performance.
“It’s a great feeling,” Heard said. “We came out, the community showed up, and they’ve been showing up all season. This is what I came back for — to win a championship for this community.”
Brownfield, meanwhile, was H-F’s top player last season but ceded much of the attention as a senior to Heard and Cobb.
That was fine with him.
“I’m not a selfish person at all,” Brownfield said. “I’m very unselfish. Seeing my brothers’ success is the same as my success. I just love seeing my brothers win, whether I’m in the spotlight or not.
“I knew I could teach them and show them the way.”
Dismukes said Brownfield “does everything that it takes to win a game.”
It’s a compliment Brownfield took great pride in hearing.
“There’s a lot of little things that go into it,” Brownfield said. “And hearing coach ‘JD’ say I’m a leader and they couldn’t do it without me, it just means a lot.”
In Heard, Cobb and Mac Hagemaster, three of H-F’s starters were transfers who were new to the program this season.
While Heard knew some questioned how the team would find chemistry, the Vikings proved those doubts wrong.
“We just stayed together,” Heard said. “Coach ‘JD’ made sure we had to come together.
“They were really doubting us at the beginning of the season if we could play together, but we came together and got the job done.”
Brownfield was at the center of it all, helping the Vikings make history.
“Carson is Mr. H-F,” Dismukes said. “He is the heart and soul of our team. He allows me to save my breath and save my words because he’s such a great leader and such a great captain.
“Even when I hear him speak to the kids, I dial back and listen.”
