BRUNSWICK — Brunswick responded to its first loss of the season the way a good football team is expected to respond.
The Dragons amassed more than 450 yards Friday night as they rolled to a 34-14 win over Lawrence in a showdown between the top two teams in the Eastern Class B Crabtree standings entering the game.
The victory came a week after Messalonskee pounded out a 20-7 win over Brunswick (6-1).
“We knew that Messalonskee was going to be tough last week,” Brunswick Coach Dan Cooper said.
“What shocked us is they kind of manhandled us up front, and that hasn’t happened all season. It was a wake-up call.”
The Dragons got the message.
Brunswick took control early, building a 20-0 lead in the opening 13 minutes.
Fullback Alex Bandouveres began the scoring less than five minutes into the game when he rumbled 27 yards up the middle, capping a 5-play, 52-yard drive.
After a Lawrence punt, Will Bessey made it 14-0, sweeping 63 yards down the right sideline.
“We’ve got a big guy up the middle who runs hard and we’ve got speed to the outside,” Cooper said. “Things are coming together for us.”
Jesse Devereaux, who alternated with Thomas Hanson at quarterback, plunged in from the 1 less than a minute into the second quarter. The touchdown finished a six-play, 66-yard drive that included a 36-yard pass from Hanson to Hunter Garrett and a 26-yard run by Bandouveres.
The Bulldogs (5-2) fought back to within 20-14 before halftime. Mitchell Cushing scored on a 9-yard run, and Cody Martin threw an 83-yard pass to Dustin Simpson-Bragg.
“It was a very competitive game,” Lawrence Coach John Hersom said. “I just told our guys I was very proud of their effort.”
The Dragons regained control after receiving the second-half kickoff. Bessey scored on a 17-yard run, capping a six-play, 80-yard drive.
After the Brunswick defense recovered a fumble at its own 13 early in the fourth quarter, the Dragons ran nearly seven minutes off the clock before the drive stalled at the Lawrence 27.
Garrett returned an interception 33 yards to complete the scoring with less than four minutes remaining.
All but 58 yards of Brunswick’s offense came on the ground. Bessey rushed for 172 yards on 19 carries, and Bandouveres gained 131 yards on 16 carries.
“Brunswick is going to be a tough team to beat,” Hersom said.
“We’d like to see them again. Hopefully, we’ll extend our season and we’ll be able to do that.”
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