Football Rolls Past Hotchkiss

For the second straight week, Brunswick’s defense collected four turnovers, as the Bruins won each phase of the game in a 41-7 Erickson League win over Hotchkiss on Saturday on Cosby Field. Brunswick scored five touchdowns on offense and one TD on special teams for the decisive win, as the Bruins move to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

 

Brunswick opened the scoring on a nifty 43-yard scamper by Jalen Madison in the first quarter. Chris Chavez converted the first of his five extra-points to give the Bruins a 7-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first quarter.

 

The Bruins’ David MacGillvray collected the first Brunswick interception with 2:04 in the first quarter. That turnover led to a TD grab by Bernard Zourngrana with 11:47 remaining in the second quarter. The 27-yard scoring toss from quarterback Nick Winegarder came on a fourth-and-long situation, as Zourngrana hauled in a slightly tipped ball in the end zone.

 

Following a Hotchkiss punt from the shadow of the Bearcats’ goal post, the Bruins took over on the Hotchkiss 25-yard line with 3:44 left before the half. Kevonne Wilder gave the Bruins excellent field position following a 12-yard punt return.

 

Six plays later, Winegardner connected with Cornelius Johnson on a pretty 10-yard touchdown pass right next to the left pylon, slipping a ball through some tough coverage. The score and made extra-point gave the Bruins a 21-0 lead with 1:06 left before intermission.

 

Holding a 21-0 lead to start the third quarter, Johnson received the second half Hotchkiss kickoff on his own one-yard line. Ninety-nine yards later, it was 28-0 Brunswick, as Johnson used some key blocks and stiff-armed one Bearcat near his own 30-yard line en route to the crowd-pleasing score. By midfield, there was no Hotchkiss defender in striking distance, as Johnson cruised to the goal line for the remarkable 99-yard touchdown return.

 

Trailing 28-0, Hotchkiss marched into the Brunswick red zone, but Brunswick defensive back Liam Fairback grabbed a tipped ball for an interception to stop the scoring threat. The pick was the third for Fairback on the season.

 

The Brunswick offense took over at its own 10 and moved 17 yards before Winegardner found Johnson for a short pass that Johnson weaved into a 73-yard touchdown reception. Following the reception, Johnson shrugged off three tacklers and shook himself away from other Bearcats on his memorable drive to pay-dirt with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

 

Following a Hotchkiss score in the fourth quarter, the Bruins added a final touchdown late in the frame to build a 41-7 lead. On the score, Winegardner found Charles Packard on third down in Hotchkiss territory. Winegardner scrambled to his left and lobbed a high ball to Packard on a post route for a 31-yard score.

 

Whit Knight and Alex Burdick joined MacGillvray and Fairback with interceptions for the Bruins.

 

Winegardner finished the day with 162 yards passing with a career-high four touchdowns on an economical nine pass attempts (8/9), as Fin Signer was 2/4 for 17 yards as a signal caller. Johnson finished with 229 total yards and three touchdowns. Johnson collected a team-high five catches for 97 yards and two scores, while Zourngrana and Packard each had a pair of catches and one touchdown grab. Madison led the rushing attach with 97 yards on 10 carries and one score, as Michael Gottlieb rushed for 43 yards on six carries and had one catch for four yards.

 

Brunswick heads to Cheshire Academy on a short week of preparation, as the Bruins face the Cats on Friday night, September 28. The non-league tilt is set for 6:30 p.m.