While nothing ever adequately explains a 49-0 shellacking in a regional final, perhaps that tale of a warm front colliding with a cold front makes sense of the perfect storm that allowed the Dragons to defend their title with ease.
“We came in obviously wanting revenge for that one loss,” Brunswick senior quarterback Thomas Hanson said. “We wanted to be at our best toward the end of the season, and I think we’re getting there. You just have to enjoy it. It’s awesome.”
Four of Hanson’s six first-half completions went for touchdowns, two apiece to Corban Teel and Jackson Gordon.
In the absence of senior standout Will Bessey, who departed with a hamstring injury after eight carries, Jesse Devereaux rushed for 178 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown, and Hunter Garrett racked up 159 all-purpose yards. Both are juniors.
“Our underclassmen did not play well the last time we played Brewer. The seniors kind of lugged us that night,” Brunswick coach Dan Cooper said. “We worked double time to get our underclassmen better, and they carried us tonight.”
Brunswick (9-1) avenged a 34-27 loss to Brewer and earned a return trip to the Class B championship game next Saturday, Nov. 21, at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. The Dragons will face the winner of Saturday’s South final between Marshwood and Falmouth. Marshwood defeated Brunswick in the state game a year ago.
The Dragons won everything but the coin flip and dominated from the initial three-and-out. Brewer’s first five running plays each went for a single yard, and the Witches’ most promising drive ended when Bessey made his second sack of the series on fourth-and-5 from the Brunswick 40.
Thrown for a 16-yard loss, Rogerson stayed on the turf until a trainer and an assistant coach carried him to the sideline. Sophomore Cody Wood finished the game at QB.
“Down two touchdowns, we knew we were still in the game,” Brewer coach Nick Arthers said. “We had just made a big play, and their defense really stepped up after that. He’s been one of our big playmakers all year. It was a tough loss early in the game.”
Brunswick (9-1) led 21-0 after the first quarter and 42-0 at the half. The Dragons owned an advantage of 506 of 63 in total yards, and Garrett Ireland produced 30 of those for Brewer (9-2) on the final play of the game.
“We were lights-out on defense. The passing game was on,” Cooper said. “It was pretty obvious from the start that they were all-in to stop Bessey. It seemed like every time we gave the ball to someone else or ran a play-action pass that we were getting big chunks.”
Jaznel Burns ran for a first down out of a rugby punt formation to extend the Dragons’ opening drive, culminating in a 17-yard Bessey run. Alex Larson booted the first of his seven extra points.
Garrett’s 45-yard punt return set up the first of consecutive touchdowns from Hanson to Teel, a 24-yard connection in the right flat with nary a defender in sight.
“The line blocked all night and gave Tom time,” Teel said. “I thought we were just going to pound it with Bessey all night, but Tom decided to air it out a few times, and it was awesome.”
Brunswick needed only three plays to score after Rogerson’s departure. Hanson found Teel with arms extended and no resistance in nearly the same spot, this time from 34 yards.
On the Dragons’ next series, after Brewer held Bessey to a one-yard gain, Devereaux ripped through a cavern off left tackle. He was untouched all the way to the Brewer 10, where he threw a Witches’ tackler off his back to finish the job.
“Jesse does a great job. He obviously should be getting a lot more carries,” Hanson said. “With the guys we have in front of him, it’s hard for him, but he can make plays for sure.”
Hanson (6-for-7, 128 yards) found Gordon on fade patterns for scores of 8 and 17 yards. The second touchdown capped a march of 87 yards that took only 90 seconds, thanks largely to runs of 30 by Devereaux and 29 by Garrett.
“We’ve been working on those all week. It worked against Mt. Blue, so we kept going at it,” Gordon said of the floaters to the back left corner of the end zone. “It was well executed tonight on both sides of the ball. We had a great week of practice, staying late and getting there early. It’s a great win for us.”
Helped slightly by running time, Brunswick used the entire third quarter to score again. Zach Larrabee’s 2-yard plunge capped a 16-play, 90-yard journey.
The Dragons took knees with two minutes remaining to avoid scoring again.
“It’s always tough to come to Brunswick, especially in the playoffs. They’re well-seasoned and we’re kind of the new kids on the block. We’re just starting to get a taste of it,” Arthers said. “After the first couple touchdowns went in, we sort of went back and played on our heels for a length of time.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
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