CUMBERLAND—What a difference a year makes.

From a winless campaign a year ago in their return to stand-alone varsity status, Greely’s eight-man football team has flipped the switch this fall.

So much so that the Rangers have gone from a team unable to win a single game to a team that is now 48 minutes from winning a championship.

Saturday evening at Glenn A. Hutchins Field, Greely, ranked second in the large school division South region, hosted a fourth-ranked Brunswick squad coming off a semifinal round upset of defending state champion Yarmouth and it led from start to finish as it wrote its latest inspirational chapter in a fascinating, exhilarating, inspirational tale.

The Rangers needed less than two minutes to go on top, as after junior Wes Piper and his defensive mates sparked a Dragons’ four-and-out, Greely scored on its second offensive play, a 60-yard dash from junior quarterback Andrew Padgett.

Later in the first quarter, senior Jerik Phillips broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run and a 12-0 advantage.

The Dragons got back in the game early in the second period, when junior quarterback Cam Beal connected with sophomore Christian McMaster for an 8-yard TD, but the Rangers countered, as they gambled on fourth down and Padgett hit Piper for a 55-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 18-8 at the half.

Brunswick pulled within two early in the third quarter, getting a 27-yard touchdown pass from Beal to junior Liam Scholl, but after coming up with a big defensive stand to hold on to the lead, Greely got some breathing room, courtesy Padgett, who broke away for a 70-yard touchdown to make it 26-16 heading to the fourth period.

There, Phillips broke it open with a 25-yard touchdown run and after Beal connected with junior Trevor Gerrish for an 18-yard score, Phillips slammed the door with a 6-yard TD dash and the Rangers prevailed, 40-22.

Greely improved to 6-3, ended Brunswick’s campaign at 6-4 and advanced to battle Mt. Desert Island (8-1) in the state final next Saturday at a time to be announced at Cameron Stadium in Bangor.

“This is awesome,” said Greely coach Caleb King. “The guys bought in. I told them my goal is to win the Gold Ball and they had to believe it. I knew this group could do it if they believed. They have and we’re going (to states).”

Uncharted territory

When it still played 11-man football as a stand-alone program, Greely was always in contention, but couldn’t get past the semifinal round.

After last year’s winless campaign at the eight-man level, the Rangers were widely dismissed entering 2023, but have they ever surprised.

After starting 1-3, Greely caught fire and served notice it could be something special with a 28-26 overtime win at Waterville, followed by a 12-8 home victory over reigning state champion Yarmouth. Greely closed the regular season on a three-game win streak to earn the No. 2 seed in the region.

The Rangers earned a bye into the semifinals, then handled No. 3 Mt. Ararat with surprising ease in the semifinals Tuesday, 38-0.

Brunswick’s trip to this round was equally stunning.

The Dragons, who were a longtime contender, had their 2020 season wiped out by the pandemic, then the school canceled the remainder of its 2021 season after only five games in the wake of a preseason hazing incident that eventually led to the removal of longtime head coach Dan Cooper. Brunswick needed a waiver from the Maine Principals’ Association to reinstate its program for the 2022 season, then proceeded to go 0-8, scoring just 34 points, surrendering 382 and getting shut out five times.

This fall, their first at the eight-man level, the Dragons started 4-1, then closed with successive lopsided losses to Mt. Ararat and Yarmouth, surrendering 64 points in each game.

But as the No. 4 seed in South region, Brunswick doubled up No. 5 Gray-New Gloucester in the quarterfinals, 68-34, then shocked the local football world Monday, outscoring host Yarmouth, the top seed, 48-46, for an epic semifinal round upset.

Brunswick beat host Greely, 42-38, back on Sept. 14.

The teams had no playoff history.

Saturday, on a pleasant early November evening (52 degrees at kickoff), they made some and the result was one that the Rangers will never forget.

Greely won the opening coin toss and bucking the recent trend, opted to receive the ball, but instead, the Dragons successfully pulled off an on-sides kick, taking over at the Rangers’ 42.

Greely’s defense then rose up and set the early tone.

After junior Jimmy Cook gained eight yards on the first snap, Beal threw to Gerrish, but he was tackled for a two-yard loss by senior Ryder Simpson and sophomore Sean Justice, then Piper tackled sophomore Lucas Labreque for no gain before Beal threw incomplete, giving the Rangers the ball at their 36.

And two plays later, they were on top to stay.

After senior Brayden Van Pembrook ran for four yards, Padgett kept the ball, ran around left end and took off down the sideline untouched, going all the way to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown with 9:34 left in the first quarter.

“To start the game off like that was amazing,” Piper said.

Greely hoped to add a two-point conversion rush, but Van Pembrook was stopped short, keeping the score 6-0.

Brunswick got its second opportunity, pinned at its 8, and began to march.

After Cook ran for two yards, he picked up one, but on third-and-7, Beal kept the ball and broke free, good for 31 yards to the 42. After Cook gained three yards, he was thrown for a two-yard loss by junior Carter Wilson before Beal threw to the right side and was picked off by Van Pembrook, who returned the interception all the way to the Dragons’ 25.

And one play later, the Rangers doubled their lead, as Phillips found room to the right and outraced the pursuit to the pylon for a 25-yard TD. Again, the two-point conversion rush was stuffed, but the lead was now 12-0.

With 7:28 still to go in the first period, Brunswick started a new series at its 38 and chewed up most of the clock with an impressive drive, but ultimately, it wouldn’t score.

After Beal kept the ball for seven yards, he threw a pass to Cook, who was tackled by Simpson for no gain. On third-and-3, Cook gained a yard, then Beal moved the chains with a four-yard keeper. After Cook ran for two yards, then three and three again, on fourth-and-2, the Dragons again came through, as Beal, while falling to the ground, managed to get the ball out and hit Cook for 10 yards to the Greely 32. After Cook ran for three yards, then picked up four, Piper held Gerrish to one yard on a reception before junior Luca Bianchi dropped Cook for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-2, giving the Rangers the ball back at their 25.

This time, Greely couldn’t do anything with it, as Padgett threw incomplete, Padgett ran for seven yards, then he kept the ball for one yard before Phillips was stopped for no gain by senior Hunter Duval and junior Tyler Maxim, giving Brunswick the football at the Rangers’ 33 with 33 seconds left in the first.

In a drive that spanned the end of the frame and 2 minutes, 34 seconds of the second period, the Dragons produced their first points.

After Labreque ran for four yards, Beal hit Cook for five on the final play of a first quarter which saw Greely hold a 97-87 edge in yardage.

The second period began with Beal rushing for two yards and after a false start penalty set up first-and-15, Labreque rushed for five yards, Beal hit Scholl for nine yards on a slant and on third-and-1, Beal gained three yards for a first down at the 10. Beal kept the ball for two yards, then dropped back and lofted a pass over the defense into the waiting arms of McMaster for an 8-yard TD to cap the drive. Beal then ran in the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 12-8.

The Rangers immediately responded, marching 60 yards in four plays and 1:59.

After Padgett threw incomplete, Simpson ran for five yards, then Padgett was held to no gain by senior Lucas Coffill. That set up fourth-and-5 and instead of punting, Greely went for it and went all in, as Padgett dropped back and launched a deep pass down the right sideline to Piper, who left senior Nate Baucom in his wake en route to a 55-yard touchdown.

“The slant-and-go, it was a great play,” said Piper. “It was a stressful situation, but I knew I could get it.”

“We realized they were playing slants pretty hard inside coverage, so it was a slant-and-go,” Padgett said. “Fake the slant, good blocking, go deep and touchdown. Wes was already past the defender, so I knew he’d get it.”

“Those big plays are huge for us,” King added. “We don’t necessarily call them big plays, we just try to get first downs and move the ball down the field. We have five, six, seven guys who are really dangerous with the ball in their hands. It makes it tough for the opposing team to have to account for all of them at a given time. We like to go for it on fourth downs. I don’t like to give the ball up. I want to put the ball in the hands of the playmakers and let them do it.”

For the third time, Van Pembrook was stopped short on the two-point conversion rush, but Greely was up, 18-8.

The Dragons started their next drive at their 33 and threatened to creep closer.

After being backed up five yards by an illegal motion penalty, Brunswick got an incomplete pass from Beal and a two-yard run from Cook, setting up third-and-13, but Beal found Gerrish for 15 yards and a first down at the 45. After Cook gained three yards, Piper held Labreque to no gain on a reception, but Beal got free on third down for a 12-yard scamper to the Rangers’ 40. Cook then ran for three yards and picked up one, but after another false start penalty, Beal threw incomplete and the Dragons punted, giving Greely the ball at its 14 with 3:33 on the clock.

The Rangers managed a first down, as Phillips ran for two yards and Simpson gained four, but after Padgett ran for a yard, Phillips picked up six and Padgett was held to no gain, Padgett threw incomplete under pressure from Duval to give Brunswick the ball on downs at the Greely 31 with 59 seconds to go before halftime.

The Dragons had a great opportunity to close the half with momentum, but couldn’t do so, as Beal twice threw incomplete and after hitting Gerrish for 15 yards, with Gerrish making a nice one-handed catch, Beal threw incomplete twice more, ran for six yards, then was off-target again, giving the Rangers the ball at their 10 with just 24.5 seconds remaining.

Greely was content to give the ball to Phillips for a seven yard pickup and take its 18-8 lead to the break.

Brunswick got the ball to start the second half and immediately drove 61 yards in nine plays and 3:08 to make things interesting.

After Cook ran for four yards on first down, McMaster picked up five, then three more to move the chains. Beal threw incomplete, but after McMaster ran for two more yards, Beal hit Labreque for six yards and a first down at the Rangers’ 41. Beal then ran for 12 yards and after McMaster gained two, Beal hit a wide open Scholl down the left side and he caught the pass and crossed the goal line for a 27-yard score with 8:51 remaining in the third period. Beal then hit Gerrish wide open in the middle for the two-point conversion which cut the deficit to just two points, 18-16.

The Dragons’ defense then got the ball right back, as Greely started its ensuing drive at midfield, but two Phillips runs only gained four yards and after Padgett ran for four more, Phillips was held to one yard on fourth-and-2, giving Brunswick possession at its 41 with a chance to take the lead.

Instead, the Rangers stood tall, holding Cook to a yard, McMaster to one yard and Beal to two, forcing a punt.

“Our defense has been on fire,” King said. “They swarm to the ball. They’re relentless and hit hard. Wes is a downhill player. We have a lot of them. (Junior) Owen Stewart, Ryder, (junior) Benny McCarron. Our secondary and our linebackers are super-stout. I’d take them over anyone. They understand they have to pursue and get to the football.”

With 5:04 left in the quarter, Greely got the ball back at its 23 and in a drive that needed just three plays and 1:54, it hit paydirt for some breathing room.

After Phillips ran for four yards, the Dragons jumped offsides and while Phillips was dropped for a two-yard loss on the next play to set up third-and-3, Padgett took off again down the left sideline and this time scored on a 70-yard dash with 3:10 left in the third.

“We just pounded it down the middle so much, so we snuck it outside and they didn’t expect it and I was gone,” said Padgett. “I literally saw green grass. The end was grabbing my shoulder, but I got away and I was just gone. I was really hyped after that. That was a big play.”

“Andrew is a great player,” King said. “He’s a fantastic athlete. He throws the ball well. Most of all, he stays cool and calm. He’s the director out there.”

This time, the Rangers got the two-point conversion, twice in fact.

A successful Phillips rush was negated by a holding penalty, but from the 12-yard line, Greely employed some trickery, as Phillips got the handoff, then threw to Simpson in the end zone to make it 26-16.

Brunswick took over at its 40 and was on its way to responding with a score when a turnover turned momentum for good.

The Dragons got a five-yard run from Labreque, then Beal found Gerrish for 25 yards to the Rangers’ 30. After Beal twice threw incomplete, he was off-target again, but a pass interference penalty gave Brunswick a new set of downs at the 15. Cook then got the call and gained five yards, but at the end of the play, he was stripped of the ball and Wilson recovered at the 10 as the Rangers dodged a bullet and maintained a two-score lead.

Greely then embarked on a backbreaking seven play, 90-yard, 4:31 drive which used up the rest of the third period and bled into the fourth.

After a chop block penalty, followed by a false start, the Rangers faced first-and-17 from the 3. After Padgett ran for three yards, the Dragons gave five yards back with an offsides penalty. Phillips then ran for six yards, followed by a two-yard pickup which set up fourth-and-inches from the 19.

On the first play of the final stanza, Padgett moved the pile with a sneak and gained three yards for a first down at the 22. After Van Pembrook gained seven yards, he burst free up the middle and didn’t stop until he was brought down at the Brunswick 25, a gain of 46 yards. On the next play, Phillips capped the march with a 25-yard touchdown run up the gut and with 9:41 remaining, after Van Pembrook was stopped on a two-point conversion rush, the Rangers were on top, 32-16.

The Dragons would answer with their final scoring drive of the night.

Starting at its 35, Brunswick needed a half dozen plays and 1:52 to score.

After Beal missed incomplete, Scholl caught a ball for 25 yards to the Greely 40. After McMaster ran for one yard, Beal hit Gerrish for 20 to the 19. McMaster then ran for a yard again before Beal found Gerrish open at the front right corner of the end zone for an 18-yard TD. The Dragons could have made it a one-score game had they added the two-point conversion, but the pass attempt went incomplete.

The Rangers got the ball back at their 49 with 7:47 on the clock and milked off a couple of minutes, as Van Pembrook gained two yards, Padgett ran for three, then Padgett gained one before throwing incomplete, giving the Dragons the ball right back at their 45 with 5:04 remaining.

Brunswick had ample time to rally, but wouldn’t be able to rise to the occasion.

After Beal threw incomplete, he found Scholl for nine yards, then for five more and a first down at the Greely 41, but on the next four snaps, Beal threw incomplete and the Rangers got the ball back at the Dragons’ 44 with 4:06 to play.

Greely then ended all doubt with its last scoring drive, a seven-play, 44-yard march which used up 3:35.

Phillips and Padgett each ran for four yards, then on third-and-2, Padgett ran to his left, got spun around by a defender, then raced back to the right and gained six yards before sliding down inbounds to keep the clock moving. After Van Pembrook gained five yards, Padgett took off for 20, setting up first-and-goal at the 5. Van Pembrook lost a yard on the next play, but with 31 seconds to play, Phillips got free to the right and scored his third touchdown, from the 6. This time, Padgett went to the air for the two-point conversion and found Justice.

Brunswick took over for the final time at its 30 and was content to take a knee, allowing the clock to expire, and at 8:10 p.m., the Rangers celebrated their history-making 40-22 triumph.

“It’s amazing, the best feeling in the world,” said Piper. “We went 0-7 last year and this year, we won a regional championship. We were thinking it was possible. We just had to believe in ourselves. We had grit from the get-go.”

“It’s crazy,” Padgett said. “I’m so thankful for all the work we’ve put in. It’s paid off and it means a lot to all of us. After our third loss, we were a little down on ourselves, but we realized we didn’t want to be like last season. We put the work in and now we’re going to states.”

“The kids have put in the work all year long,” King added. “We give them the opportunities, but they have to do it. It clicked later in the year and we’ve been on a roll. They have to believe in themselves as much as we have in them. They finally started doing that. We had an overtime win at Waterville and it’s been downhill ever since.”

Greely tallied 406 yards of offense and didn’t turn the ball over.

Padgett ran 15 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed a pass, good for a 55-yard TD.

Phillips ran wild as well, to the tune of 94 yards and three TDs on 15 attempts.

Van Pembrook gained 63 yards on six rushes.

End of the line

Brunswick gained 351 yards, but turned the ball over twice and took six penalties for 40 yards.

Beal wound up 18-of-36 passing for 196 yards, three TDs and an interception.

Gerrish caught seven balls for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Scholl had five receptions for 75 yards with a TD.

Cook ran 19 times for 46 yards. He also caught three passes for 15 yards.

“It’s a tough one,” said Dragons coach Mark Renna. “We didn’t execute. We had our chances, but we had penalties and turned the ball over and you can’t do that in a championship game. You can get away with those things in the regular season, but playoffs is a whole different ball of wax.

“We’ll learn from this. I’m very proud of the guys. This was my first year, we didn’t know who each other was. We have a lot of skill guys coming back. We’ll be starting from a better place next year. We’ll see what happens.”

The final Saturday

Greely and MDI didn’t play this fall and have no playoff history.

The Rangers’ first-ever game as a varsity team came at home versus MDI back in 2003 and resulted in a 14-7 victory.

With that in mind, what would be more fitting than Greely’s first-ever championship game victory coming against the same foe?

“We just have to keep our game up and keep Greely football going,” said Piper.

“We have one more,” Padgett said. “We’re not done yet. It’s a long drive, but we’re ready. We’ll put in the same work we’ve been putting in all season. We’ll stay consistent and do what we do best. Everyone didn’t believe in us, but here we are. We want that Gold Ball.”

“MDI is obviously a good football team, but we’re a good football team too,” added King. “We’ll focus, make sure we don’t have any mistakes and do what we do well and capitalize on their weaknesses.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023

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