BRUNSWICK

There were three goals in the mind of Brunswick High School football coach Dan Cooper coming into the annual “Battle of the Bridge” encounter with Mt. Ararat on Friday night.

First, and most important, leave the field healthy. Second, have the starters get their work in successfully and give some time to the reserves, and third, make sure running back Jared Jensen, behind his superb offensive line, eclipses the 2,000-yard mark.

Consider it a successful night for the Dragons, who jumped out to a 42-0 lead before the second quarter was halfway gone in a 48-14 Pine Tree Conference victory.

Jensen did get his 2,000 yards, ripping off 144 on just six carries against the Eagles (0-9), four of which went for touchdowns. And, the Dragons left the field healthy.

“It’s an incredible performance and one that was certainly not expected,” said Cooper of Jensen’s season. “They all gave it up this season and made it work. It is a great accomplishment.”

“I credit my line every week,” said Jensen of his accomplishment. “It was huge to get that goal out of the way early and off our backs. Beginning of the year, I never would have thought 2,000 yards would happen. It is unbelievable.

“Winning this game against Mt. Ararat is huge,” continued Jensen. “We lost to these guys in a freshman game my freshman year, and we have wanted to get them back every year. This year, it’s great to be at home and win again.”

Quick start

It didn’t take long for Brunswick to assume control as Ryan Maciejewski returned the opening kick-off 67 yards to the Mt. Ararat 4-yard line. Jensen scored on the first play from scrimmage for a 6-0 lead.

Mt. Ararat picked up a first down on its first drive as running back Ryan Smith broke off an 18-yard run. But, the Brunswick defense held and forced a punt.

Four plays later, Jensen was off to the races, breaking three tackles on his way to a 47-yard TD run and 12-0 Dragons lead.

A three-and-out for the Eagles, and a key Jason Carter-to-James Bandouveres 44-yard pass moved the ball to the MA-12, and Bandouveres finished the drive off with a 3-yard TD run for an 18-0 Brunswick advantage after a quarter.

Quick drives continued for the Dragons in the second quarter. Brunswick had four drives that used up a combined 29 seconds, and three touchdowns and an interception (Smith picked off a Carter pass) made for a 42-0 lead with 7:04 remaining until halftime.

Jensen had two TD runs in the frame, including a 36-yard score to push him above 2,000 yards and signal an end of the night for most of the Dragon starters.

“We did want to take care of business before half, and get the jayvees in, so it worked out,” said Cooper.

Eagles find room

Mt. Ararat found some room against the Brunswick reserves, led by senior Joey Burr, who broke through the Dragons defense for a 58- yard TD run late in the first half to get the Eagles on the board.

“It was tough getting ready for this game, knowing this was it for me,” said Burr, who gained 128 yards on 25 carries.

“We talked about it all week, knowing that if came over here and played as hard as we can between the whistles, no matter what the score was we could leave this field with heads held high,” said Mt. Ararat coach Frank True, who also watched Smith gain over 100 yards on the ground (12 carries, 109 yards). “Having two kids rushing for over 100 yards says something. These guys have worked so hard and they deserve so much more. Hopefully we take some positive out of this.”

Logan Tupper and Brady Larson each scored a touchdown for Brunswick, with Burr notching his second of the night on an 8-yard run in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring.

Brunswick picked up 296 yards on the ground compared to 239 for Mt. Ararat. Cam Berry chipped in 61 yards rushing for the Dragons, while Jacob Duffy forced a fumble (recovered by Brett Lancaster) and had four solo tackles, along with Ezra Rogers and Adam Brown. Charlie Howell picked up a sack.

Connor Read and Burr each had five tackles to lead the Eagles’ defense.

Now, Brunswick will prepare for an Eastern A semifinal matchup with No. 2 Cony, a team the Dragons lost to 34-7 on Sept. 28.

“We have to have great practices every day and play hard, playing mistake free football Friday night,” said Cooper, whose Dragons are seeded third.

“We have to be more focused against Cony and not turn the ball over,” said Jensen. “If we can do that, we will be successful.”

Brunswick 48,
Mt. Ararat 14

At Brunswick High School
Mt.Ararat—0707—14
Brunswick—182460—48
First quarter
B — Jared Jensen 4 run (kick failed), 11:37.
B — Jared Jensen 47 run (run failed), 5:17.
B — James Bandouveres 3 run (run failed), 2:06.
Second quarter
B — Jared Jensen 43 run (Adam Brown pass from
Brady Larson), 11:45.
B — Jared Jensen 36 run (Brett Lancaster run),
7:25.
B — Logan Tupper 14 run (Colby Dwyer run), 7:04.
MA — Joey Burr 58 run (Ryan Smith kick), 2:45.
Third quarter
B — Brady Larson 2 run (run failed), 4:13.
Fourth quarter
MA — Joey Burr 8 run (Ryan Smith kick), 10:59.
Records — Brunswick 7-2, Mt. Ararat 0-9.
Next — The third-seeded Dragons visit No. 2 Cony
in an Eastern A semifinal on Friday at 7 p.m.; Mt.
Ararat’s season is completed.