LEWISTON — Through six quarters against the Cony High School defense, the Brunswick offense had produced barely 100 yards and trailed 13-7 at halftime in Friday’s Class B North semifinal on Don Roux Field.

As the rainy drizzle turned into a steadier rain prior to the second-half kickoff, the Dragons did not return to the field with their heads down. No, it was a fired up, even angry looking squad in white, wet uniforms that were jumping up and down and hollering for all to hear and see.

This showing of Dragon togetherness certainly seemed to turn the tide, as the Brunswick offense sprang to life and rallied for an amazing 21-13 come-from-behind victory over the second-seeded Rams.

Now, Brunswick is one step away from a State Class B championship appearance, as the Dragons will host No. 4 Lawrence this upcoming Friday (7 p.m.) for the Class B North regional title.

Cony quarterback Riley Geyer, center, fumbles as he gets tackled by Brunswick’s Nick Munn during a Class B North semifinal game on Friday at Lewiston High School. Cony recovered the ball, but the Dragons came away with a 21-13 victory. (Joe Phelan / Kennebec Journal)

In a game that started about as perfectly as it gets — a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown by Brunswick’s Chandler Coombs 61 seconds into the contest — the same old offensive struggles came back to the forefront for the Dragons.

“Our coach talked about having a big start, and I was out there, saw the moment, and I was able to take it to the house,” said Coombs of his early spark for the Dragons.

Brunswick struggled to move the ball. In the first quarter, the Dragon offense had minus-one yards, while Cony started strong, going for 77 yards and closing to 7-6 when quarterback Riley Geyer plowed into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run.

In the second quarter, Geyer threw to Matt Wozniak for a 4-yard score, giving the Rams a 13-7 lead, with Brunswick totaling just 27 yards of offense and picking up two first downs through 24 minutes.

Meanwhile Cony, like it did in the 30-6 rout of the Dragons two weeks earlier, was solid, with 122 yards of offense, led by Geyer’s 13-of-17 passing for 90 yards.

“Last time we played them we shot ourselves in the foot and got behind. It got out of control. Cony is a good football team,” said Brunswick (7-3) coach Dan Cooper.

Fired up

After Brunswick’s loud gathering, Dragon Mitch Leinert put together a big return to open the second half, dashing and darting 43 yards and into Cony territory.

“Mitch’s return was huge,” Cooper said. “We hadn’t crossed the 50 since the first quarter the first time we played them. It gave us the spark that we needed.”

Starting at the Rams 41-yard line, Leinert came through again, finding a hole and galloping 29 yards to the Cony 11.

The Brunswick football celebrates after beating Cony Rams, 21-13, to win a Class B North semifinal game on Friday at Lewiston High School. (Joe Phelan / Kennebec Journal)

On fourth down, quarterback Noah Goddard scored on a 2-yard run. However, Ram Reed Hopkins blocked the point-after kick, leaving the teams in a 13-13 deadlock.

Cony (7-2) advanced to the Brunswick 25-yard line on its opening drive of the second half, but the Dragon defense held on downs. Brunswick’s longest drive of the evening was next, with the Dragons holding onto the ball for nearly six minutes before the Rams stopped the advance at the Cony 18-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter.

On the next play, Coombs came through again, stepping in front of a Cony receiver for his second interception and returning the ball to the Cony 13-yard line.

“It might be that I’m small, underestimated, and for some reason quarterbacks don’t see me,” said Coombs. “Cony has so many weapons. What we had to do was get low. We were able to stop them.”

Two plays produced just three yards. From the Cony 10, Brunswick’s Nate Girardin stepped back and lofted a pass to the back of the end zone and into the waiting arms of receiver Treyvon McKenzie for the go-ahead touchdown.

“We had been running lateral every game, and I was left open nearly ever time,” said McKenzie, who described his reaction as the ball approached him. “The pass came and I was like, ‘Oh boy, I have to get it.’”

“We didn’t want to leave any stone unturned. We just went for it. No guts no glory. We didn’t like calling a pass there, but we felt it was the time to take a chance,” Cooper said.

Cony’s next two possessions ended with three-and-outs. A big sack by Brunswick’s Jeremiah McNeill, along with constant pressure from lineman Nick Munn, had Geyer scrambling for his life.

“Our defensive line really raised their game tonight,” Cooper said. “Last time, we couldn’t get any pressure and they ran all over us. Tonight, we felt if we could put some pressure on them, things would be to our advantage. We did that from the start. Cony couldn’t run the ball (52 rushing yards on 24 carries). We were stiff against the run. Their backs were against the wall and they brought it tonight.”

“We were in the cafeteria (at halftime), and it was either step up or go home,” McKenzie said.

A second interception by Hopkins gave the Rams new life, and Cony advanced to the Brunswick 22-yard line before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 2:13 remaining. From there, the Dragon offense closed it out, setting off a wild celebration, reminiscent of the aggression prior to the start of the second half.

“The coaches and the alumni remember a few years ago getting beat by the Cony Rams in the postseason. For us, there is nothing like beating Cony,” said Munn, who finished with eight tackles, including a sack, and rushed for 20 tough yards in the second half.

“We knew that we could beat them all week. We had to do this for our brothers, our seniors, and we did it,” added Coombs.

Now comes Friday’s improbable regional final with No. 4 Lawrence, which upset top-seeded Skowhegan in dominating fashion, 41-8, Friday night.

“We had a feeling that Lawrence would beat Skowhegan again, and we knew if we could this one done, we would go home and have a chance of winning and going to the state championship,” said Cooper.

Geyer finished 19-of-31 for 154 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Hopkins hauled in four passes for 51 yards, while Wozniak chipped in four catches for 36 yards and a score.

Leinert led the Dragons with 50 yards rushing.