BRUNSWICK — Brunswick High School football coach Dan Cooper knew his team was going to have to take a few chances if it wanted to hang with the powerful Kennebunk Rams in a crossover contest.
So, facing a fourth-down-and-two from the Rams 33-yard line on the game’s first offensive series, Cooper rolled the dice.
Unfortunately for the Dragons, the gamble came up craps, and Kennebunk scored the first of its six touchdowns en route to a 42-0 victory on a windy Friday night.
The Rams improved to 4-0 and earned their fourth straight shutout, while the Dragons fell to 2-2 and host Mt. Blue next Friday at 7 p.m.
Cooper felt his team was going to make the early first down.
“It was high risk, and we felt that we needed to take a chance and gain some momentum,” said Cooper. “They (Kennebunk) are good. They got off blocks really well and they fly to the football. We wanted to go for it. We knew they were a good team, and new regrets, we felt confident.”
“It is early in the game and you’re trying to fire up your team, and fortunately we held,” said Kennebunk coach Joe Rafferty, who watched his team respond with a 34-yard touchdown drive as Derek Smith scored on a 4-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 7:56 remaining in the first quarter.
“We knew we had to get it in there, and that allowed us to get it rolling,” Kennebunk quarterback Tripp Bush said.
On Brunswick’s second drive, the Dragons faced a fourth-and-two. This time Brunswick punted.
Still, the Ram offense was in high gear, driving 54 yards on six plays, with Smith finishing the march with his second score, this one from the Brunswick 7-yard line.
“We wanted to come up here and take care of business. We were able to do that against a tough opponent,” said Bush.
The second quarter began with the Rams on the move again. Dante DeLorenzo powered his way into the end zone on a 5-yard TD run, with Ryan Connors’ third straight point-after kick giving Kennebunk a 21-0 lead.
The Brunswick defense held for the first time on Kennebunk’s next drive, but the Dragons gave the ball back on a lost fumble, their second turnover of the opening half.
Kennebunk made it a 28-0 halftime score on its final drive before intermission. Bush threw to Zackary Sullivan, who ditched a tackler and ran into the end zone on a 21-yard passing play.
“We made mistakes, but they are a good football team and capitalized. They really outplayed us in all aspects,” Cooper said.
Rafferty felt his team played well on the road for the second time this season, coming into a hostile environment.
“There is no welcome committee when we come here, and we know that and that’s OK,” the Kennebunk coach said. “To have a rivalry with a non-league team is fun. We used to go to Mountain Valley, up to Rumford on a Friday night. That kind of stuff is what makes high school football fun.”
Scoreless third
The Brunswick defense found a rhythm in the third quarter, recovering a Rams fumble. Brunswick picked up a pair of first downs and advanced to the Rams 14-yard line. But, a third lost Dragon fumble kept Brunswick from finding the end zone.
Later in the quarter, Chandler Coombs intercepted a Bush pass and returned it 24 yards to the B-45. Again, the Rams defense held, and Kennebunk tacked on two fourth-quarter touchdowns — a 5-yard TD run by DeLorenzo and a 56-yard burst by Connors — to finish the 42-0 Kennebunk win.
Bush led the Rams on the ground with 112 yards on eight carries, while DeLorenzo added 81 yards on 14 lugs. Bush was 7-of-14 in the air for 89 yards, with Sullivan hauling in five receptions for 58 yards.
Donald Bromiley paced Brunswick with 97 yards on 14 rushes, followed by Mitch Leinert and Cam Hathaway with 30 yards each.
The Rams held a 404-170 yardage advantage, and picked up 18 first downs to Brunswick’s seven.
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