FALMOUTH — A fumble less than a minute into the game was a sign of things to come Friday night for the Westbrook football team, and Falmouth didn’t let the Blue Blazes get away with any of their mistakes.
Turnovers proved costly for Westbrook, as Falmouth junior quarterback Jack Bryant passed for 190 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in a 37-13 win.
Falmouth improved to 2-0, while Westbrook fell to 1-1.
“I have to say, they got our attention when they went up to Leavitt and beat them,” Falmouth Coach John Fitzsimmons said of the Blue Blazes. “That’s a great statement. We also know they’re a balanced team with passing and running, so we came into this game very worried about what they had to offer.”
But Westbrook had trouble holding onto the ball.
The Blue Blazes opened the game with a fumble, allowing Falmouth to start at the Westbrook 38. Three minutes later, Bryant went 5 yards for the first of his two touchdown runs. He also threw three touchdown passes.
Westbrook looked poised to answer when senior running back Miece Loureiro ran 40 yards to the Falmouth 9. But a penalty for a block in the back negated the big gain, and the Blue Blazes fumbled again on the next play.
“Our defense really stepped up,” Bryant said. “They played great.”
The Yachtsmen again capitalized on the turnover. From the Westbrook 18, Garrett Aube fought his way into the end zone to give Falmouth a 14-0 lead.
Things only got worse for the Blue Blazes. Brandon Martin snagged an interception to set up Falmouth with first-and-goal, and Bryant scrambled for another touchdown to make it 21-0.
Then another fumble gave Falmouth the ball at the Westbrook 20. The Yachtsmen couldn’t get into the end zone on fourth-and-goal, but the defense produced a safety for a 23-0 lead.
Westbrook finally got on the board as time expired in the first half with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Bailey Sawyer to Dimitri Reid.
Westbrook’s momentum didn’t carry into the second half, however. Four minutes into the third quarter, Bryant and Brock Welch connected on a 27-yard touchdown pass. A reception by Max Fortier for the 2-point conversion gave the Yachtsmen a 31-7 lead.
The Blue Blazes got a 45-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter from Hamza Hunifi on a pass that deflected off a cornerback’s hands into Hunifi’s. But Falmouth quickly responded, as Jack Kidder turned a short pass into a 60-yard touchdown.
“When he’s doing stuff like that – it makes my job a lot easier,” Bryant said.
The Blue Blazes ended the game like they started it, as a 40-yard reception ended with a fumble and a 40-yard return by Aube to the Westbrook 20.
“What we’re most proud of is that we have a young team,” Fitzsimmons said. “We had a great team last year that graduated, so you expect mistakes to be made. But when you look at it collectively, they really played a great game.”
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