KENNEBUNK — No regular-season win ever will make up for a loss in the playoffs the previous season.

But Kennebunk soothed some of the memories Thursday night, dominating Brunswick for a 35-0 victory in a rematch of last year’s Class B state final.

The Rams (5-0) scored on the ground, through the air – including a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder – and on special teams.

The teams are going in different directions. Brunswick (0-5) has only three returning starters.

Tripp Bush of the Rams threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns, two for more than 60 yards. Cole Hoffman and Christian Putnam led a defense that limited the Dragons to 128 yards.

“We knew they were a great team coming in but we were ready for them,” said Bush. “It had always (been) in the back of our minds to get revenge.

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“We really executed on everything today, which was great. We preached that in practice, that we’ve got to execute.”

It took almost the entire first quarter but Kennebunk took advantage of the young defense to grab control by completing two long pass plays for a 14-0 lead.

Bush found Derek Smith down the left sideline for a 70-yard scoring pass with 2:30 left in the opening quarter. Smith caught the ball in stride just past midfield and avoided a shoestring tackle on the way to the end zone.

On their next possession, the Rams needed four plays to make it 14-0. Bush hit Zack Sullivan on a 7-yard pass along the left sideline, and Sullivan lateraled to Smith, who took care of the final 55 yards on the hook-and-ladder play.

“Looking at them (we saw) they can get very aggressive defensively so we played a couple different formations than we have been using, hoping to get some one-on-one coverage,” Kennebunk Coach Joe Rafferty said. “I think we are very talented at the split end spot. We figured if we can get the right guy on the right coverage it will work out.”

Brunswick Coach Dan Cooper felt he had the right defense called on the two touchdown passes.

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“We were absolutely expecting (their passing attack),” he said. “On (the hook-and-ladder) we couldn’t have defended it any better and they (still) got it. And they were able to go over the top (for 70 yards). Their athletes are good.”

The Dragons were still in the game but a botched punt gave the Rams a gift score. Aiden Glover’s punt hit one of his blockers in the back. Hoffman pounced on the loose ball. Tom Madden’s third of five PATs made the score 21-0 with 38 seconds left in the half.

The Dragons had a couple golden opportunities to score in the first half when they had drives start in the Rams’ territory, but the Kennebunk defense didn’t break.

The first drive started at the Kennebunk 45 after Owen Richardson recovered a blocked punt. But the Dragons went three-and-out.

The second drive, following the Rams’ first touchdown, stalled at the Kennebunk 9 when a fourth-and-19 pass from Nate Giardin to Sam Dorval gained only 15 yards.

Kennebunk pushed its lead to 28-0 on an 11-play drive that took 5:43 off the clock. Dante Delorenzo (12 carries, 53 yards) capped the drive with a 2-yard plunge.

Bush’s third TD pass, 21 yards to Sullivan, finished the scoring 45 seconds into the fourth quarter.


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