BRUNSWICK — Oftentimes in high school football, the team that wins the battle in the trenches is the one that walks away with the victory.
Such was the case on Friday in a Class B North clash between visiting Cony and homestanding Brunswick. The Rams won the battle up front, and more importantly the game, 30-6.
With the victory, Cony (7-1) clinched the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinals in two weeks. The Dragons finished 5-3 and will entertain Brewer in a quarterfinal this upcoming Friday at 7 p.m.
Brunswick was held to just 85 yards of total offense, with Cony routinely shutting off Brunswick runs.
“They were amazing, particularly on defense. They are big, fast, and get off blocks, and every time we had a hole open it closed quickly,” said Brunswick coach Dan Cooper. “We couldn’t stick to them. They were getting off blocks, and we had a couple missed assignments here and there. Cony’s defense was just that good.”
Cony remembered last season’s home quarterfinal loss to Brunswick.
“To beat them by 24, it feels great,” said Cony senior lineman Jakob Arbour. “To give them a little bit of their medicine felt good.”
The Rams received the opening kickoff and picked up three first downs before the drive stalled at the Brunswick 23-yard line.
On Brunswick’s third play from scrimmage, quarterback Nate Girardin’s pass was intercepted by Cony’s Jonny Hanson and returned to the Brunswick 38-yard line.
This time Cony found the end zone, with sophomore quarterback Riley Geyer scoring on a 10-yard TD run. Place kicker Kyle Douin tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Penalties stalled Brunswick’s second drive, with three consecutive infractions pushing the Dragons back to their 5-yard line. Cony’s defensive line, led by Arbour, picked up two points with a safety as Giradin was sacked in the end zone, giving the Rams a 9-0 lead after a quarter.
“We needed to come out and set the pace, and our line came out and pushed them around on both sides of the ball,” said Arbour, who had 10 tackles.
Brunswick’s offense continued to go nowhere, with two consecutive three-and-outs.
Cony started its next scoring drive at its own 47-yard line. Geyer completed passes to Mike Wozniak and Jamal Cariglia to keep the Rams march moving. Geyer sent a lateral to Reed Hopkins, who threw a jumpball to Ashton Cunningham. The taller Cunningham out-battled a pair of Dragons defenders for a 15-yard touchdown reception and a 16-0 Rams lead.
Brunswick drive
A big run by Girardin, covering 24 yards, allowed the Dragons to move into Rams territory. A 15-yard penalty after the run moved the ball to the Cony 25, and an offsides infraction, one of eight penalties on the Rams, gave the Dragons a first down at the C-13. On fourth down, Cam Hathaway broke through the Cony defense for a touchdown to close Brunswick’s gap to 16-6 at the half.
The momentum of the score failed to translate into the second half. After Cony out-gained the Dragons 175-67 in the first half, Brunswick’s offense struggled in the second. After a three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half, Cony moved 46 yards on nine plays, capped by a Geyer to Hopkins 24-yard TD pass and a 23-6 Rams advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Geyer put the Dragons away with a 32-yard touchdown run. Geyer rushed for a game-high 116 yards on 20 carries and threw for another 137, completing 11-of-24 passes. Cariglia added 62 rushing yards, with Cunningham chipping in 48. Hopkins hauled in four passes for 52 yards, followed by Cunningham with three for 41.
Their offensive line blocked like champs. We had a hard time stopping them,” Cooper said of the Rams.
Hathaway paced Brunswick with 39 rushing yards, with Girardin adding 24.
Cooper tried to pick his team up after the game, realizing the second season is about to begin.
“It is a pretty good group. They are disappointed, but humbled at the same time. They are all about getting better. We get to play another week. A home playoff game is a good thing,” Cooper said.
For Cony, the bye week will help to heal some injuries.
“We have some kids nicked up, so that bye week will really help us out,” Arbour said.
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