Led by a dominating effort by its offensive line, Brunswick held on for a 27-20 victory and takes on No. 3 Lawrence (8-2) tonight at 7 p.m. for the Eastern B Regional title. The winner heads to Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland Nov. 22 for the State Class A Championship, with Marshwood and York playing for the Western B title on Saturday.
Against Messalonskee, running back Will Bessey broke off touchdown runs of 92, 78, 44 and 91 yards, compiling 365 yards on just 16 carries in the win. Most of his runs were made possible by the huge holes provided by the blocking of left tackle Josh Goddard, left guard Tristan Graves, center Devin Hewson, right guard Andrew Cilea, right tackle Nick Osbourne and tight end Corban Teel, with wing-back Cam Berry assigned the difficult task of taking on defensive ends of superior height and strength.
“Those kids have been working hard all year, and especially on Friday,” said Brunswick coach Dan Cooper of his line which has led the way as the Dragons have produced two 1,000-yard runners in Bessey and fullback Alex Bandouveres. “Their toughness and understanding of what needed to happen for us to win the game was evident. There were a lot of tense moments for sure, but our line came through when called upon.”
21-Down, 29-Down
Brunswick’s offensive scheme, according to Cooper, was rather simple against Messalonskee, which had beaten the Dragons 20-7 in Oakland on Oct. 10.
“We found success running two plays, 21-Down and 29-Down,” said the coach. “Depending on which way we ran, the play needed the line to make their blocks, for Berry to pinch the defensive end, for Corban Teel to get to the second level, and for Will to find the hole and make it work. All of that worked perfectly on Friday.”
“It felt amazing to hit someone and make a hole big enough to run a semi through it and watch (Bessey) take off,” said Graves, whose pancake block on a Messalonskee defensive lineman in the fourth quarter allowed Bessey to score Brunswick’s final touchdown with two minutes remaining. “We wanted Messalonskee a lot. There wasn’t a lot of talking between the teams, but we did what we needed to do to open the holes.”
“The key for us was good downblocking and being more physical then they were, something that has worked for us all season,” said Osbourne. “Every yard counts in this game. Everybody hit their man and allowed Bessey to get all those yards. Knowing that we did our job right that led to a touchdown is very satisfying.”
The hard work for the offensive line didn’t begin during the first practice on a hot August day.
“We worked hard throughout the offseason and during the season, and we have fought hard to open up those holes for our running backs,” said Hewson, the player who anchors the offense and makes sure each snap of the football reaches quarterback Tom Hanson’s hands. “We know each other, how I snap and how he takes the snaps, and we have worked together well. I do what I have to. I prefer run blocking because it is a lot more aggressive than sitting back. You can control a lot of what happens with good run blocking.”
Goddard agreed that run blocking is something he prefers over pass blocking.
“To be able to finish runs, make the holes, has been fun,” said Goddard. “Friday we were getting to the second level and finishing blocks. This was a playoff game and we had to get it done.”
Cilea isn’t the biggest player up front. Much smaller than his teammates on the line, Cilea relies on speed and resiliency.
“My mentality is to go 100 percent every play and not give up,” said Cilea, who realizes on many plays he has 220-pound fullback Alex Bandouveres running full speed ahead behind him. “You have to hit until you hear the whistle. You want to get out of his way while making the hole for Bando to get through. After getting the job done and pushing those ends out, it was a great feeling in the wins this year.”
The tight end typically doesn’t receive as much credit with regards to opening holes for running backs. But, the Dragons rely on Teel to take on the opponent’s defensive end and linebackers.
“I just try to get to the second level, something that is my job, and if I do my job then the running backs can do their job,” said the sophomore. “It was fun to see Will take off, find the hole and go to the end zone. We need to hit our blocks and get to that second level, all of us. If we do that, we will continue to win.”
Berry, like Cilea, is not the biggest player by far on the Dragons. But, the senior, who has carried the ball in key situations along the way, has provided blocks that has allowed Bessey and Bandouveres to get outside the tackles.
“I am trying to get a big first step and hit them low,” said the senior who likes blocking along with running the ball for big gains. “Those defensive ends are typically big guys, so I can’t go high. I want to move them as quick as possible. Whatever coach wants me to do. If he gives me the ball, I will run hard. If he wants me to block for Bess or Bando, I will go just as hard.
“This season has been so much fun, to go 7-1 and win a playoff game. This is my senior year and it is great to have the chance to head to states.”
The work of his line hasn’t gone unnoticed by Cooper and his coaching staff. Cooper feels his offensive linemen have been the unsung heroes of his Dragons this year.
“That was a great win against Messalonskee, and again it sums up our season,” said Cooper. “We made big plays and didn’t give up any that night. That was the difference. Our offensive line was huge all night. Even though it seemed like we were on defense all night, which we were, when we had the chance with the ball the holes were there. Everyone did their job for four quarters.”
Facing Lawrence again
In the first meeting of the season at Brunswick on Oct. 17, the Dragons jumped ahead of Lawrence, 20-0, early in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs, who upset second-seeded and defending Class B champion Cony 28-27, on Saturday in an Eastern B semifinal at Augusta, pushed back. Lawrence lefty quarterback Cody Martin and his running back Mitchell Cushing gave the top-seeded Dragons a scare, scoring 14 quick points to close to 20-14.
“They have some very good skilled kids, tall, fast kids, that are tough for us to match up with,” said Cooper of Lawrence. “Their quarterback, a lefty, can make plays and is a wild card. He is good with his legs and his arm, and is able to get the ball to his skilled guys.”
Brunswick took over in the second half, outscoring Lawrence 14-0 for a 34-14 victory. The Dragons rushed for 430 yards on 57 carries, with Bandouveres plowing ahead for 123 yards and Bessey sprinting outside for 190. Defensively, Brunswick was solid in the second half, with Hunter Garrett returning an interception for a touchdown to complete the scoring.
For the Dragons to pull off a win in their second Regional home contest in two seasons, Brunswick will need to contain the skill personnel of the Bulldogs, and run the ball with authority.
“This will be a game against two evenlymatched teams on Friday,” said Cooper. “Against Cony, they made some amazing plays, catches. Three of their touchdowns were unbelievable plays where an average team doesn’t get it done.
“We can’t give up the big play and must be consistently good on offense, whether we score on big plays or grind it out. We have to even up the time of possession, and not be out there on defense all night like we were against Messalonskee. We have to do better in the pits. Defensively, we have not been very good at times up front. We just need to be better defensively up front.”
“We have to do the same thing that we have done all year, talk with our pads and open those holes,” concluded Graves.
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