BRUNSWICK — A recent run by the Brunswick High School football team, winners of five of its last six games, has the Dragons one win away from a chance to play for another state championship.

Tonight, they look to get past the last obstacle to their destination as the Dragons host Lawrence at 7 p.m. in the Class B North Regional Final.

Brunswick (7-3) defeated the Bulldogs five weeks ago at Keyes Field in Fairfield, 55-28. Since then, Lawrence has won four straight, averaging nearly 35 points a game, including a 41-8 victory over top-seeded Skowhegan a week ago.

For success against the 6-4 Bulldogs, the Dragons look to continue to stick to the game plan that has driven them this deep into the season.

Brunswick has traditionally relied heavily on the run game over the years, and when starting tailback Owen Richardson went down with an injury in the first game of the season, coach Dan Cooper and his staff began looking at options.

They came up with different formations that included moving starting quarterback Nate Girardin deeper into the backfield and inserting junior Noah Goddard under center.

After the Dragons suffered additional injuries at other positions, creating a domino effect, Cooper decided to use Girardin at running back, while also giving him plenty of looks under center as well.

“We did this some last year too,” Cooper mentioned about using both players at quarterback. “He (Noah) came in at quarterback sometimes and Nate went to running back. What facilitated this was we wanted to use Nate more, spread him around, maybe even try to get him in as a receiver.

“But with our injuries, we felt we needed to use him more as a running back, where he could do more with the ball.”

Girardin welcomed the move, willing to play where the team needed him the most.

“I enjoy running the ball, but I play where the team needs me,” said the senior. “Losing Owen in week one

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)

really changed our game plan. We put formations in, and when other injuries happened, we started using them going forward and its worked well for the team.”

As the Dragons drew closer to the playoffs, Cooper decided to use Girardin more at running back and putting the speedy Goddard at quarterback.

Noah Goddard

A quarterback on the offensive side of the ball since junior high, Goddard is quite acclimated with the position. Taking snaps for the team, allowing Girardin to run the ball, seemed like a no-brainer to the junior.

“Everyone knows Nate is one of the fastest, so I think it means a lot to bring someone else in and let him run the ball,” Goddard said. “Teams aren’t really sure what’s going on when I get in there. Cony thought I was passing every time, but we bring a different look.”

Brunswick defeated the Rams last week in a semifinal match after Cony had beaten Brunswick in the last game of the regular season, its only setback the last six weeks. The combination of Girardin and Goddard kept Cony guessing.

“Every time I went in they were calling me out, ’three is in, watch the pass,’” Goddard said. “And when we’re crossing teams up like that and putting a speedster like Nate on the outside, it’s deadly.”

Cooper also has confidence in Goddard, trusting he can make sound decisions running the offense.

“Goddard brings the skill set that he really understands defenses because he kind of runs ours from the safety position,” the Brunswick coach said. “He’s got a pretty good understanding on what to look for. He’s a three-sport athlete, so he brings a real maturity and poise that’s beyond his years as a junior.”

For tonight’s contest, with Richardson’s status “up in the air” according to Cooper, Girardin hopes to continue running more behind the players that make it all possible.

“Our linemen have really pushed themselves this year,” Girardin said. “All I can do is run, they open all of the holes.”

But the tailback/quarterback understands Lawrence is a formidable opponent.

“We can’t underestimate the Bulldogs. They put together a good game against Skowhegan. We need to be ready to step up our game,” Girardin added.

Winning on the road in a semifinal game for the second year in a row (both against Cony) was a great feeling for Goddard, but he too understands tonight’s game starts with a clean slate.

“The biggest things is don’t take them for granted. We beat them once this year, but Cony also beat us so that doesn’t mean much,” noted Goddard earlier this week. “We need to come out with the same intensity as we did against Cony. Practice hard all week and trust the game plan, trust the scheme and do what we’re told.”

Another 48 minutes of football will be played to see how that game plan works out. If successful, it will be Brunswick’s fourth trip to the State B Finals in the last five years.