Effectively running the ball, while playing tenacious defense, the Brunswick School football team seized control of its road game against Suffield Academy early in the Northeast Prep League matchup.

Scoring on their first possession was a sign of pleasant things to come for the Bruins, who used an impressive start on both sides of the ball to earn their first victory of the season.

Junior running back Bryce Davis ran for three touchdowns and junior quarterback Elijah Cromartie passed for a touchdown in Brunswick’s convincing 28-7 victory over Suffield Academy on Saturday in Suffield, Conn.

The Bruins (1-1) drove 83 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead on Suffield on the game’s first possession. The drive was capped by Cromartie’s 30-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Tomas Delgado, giving the Bruins a first quarter lead.

“We were executing,” Brunswick first-year coach Wayne McGillicuddy said. “The boys came out ready to play and we established our running game early behind our offensive line.”

Brunswick jumped out to a 14-0 advantage, before Suffield cut its deficit to 14-7 by returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the second quarter. Davis reached the end zone on three runs within five yards. His first touchdown run came in the second quarter. He added two touchdown runs in the third quarter, giving the Bruins a 28-7 edge.

“We got Davis going early with the inside run,” McGillicuddy said. “Then we took our shot to throw the touchdown. We really wanted to set the tempo with the offensive line and create a running game.”

The Bruins have an imposing offensive line, led by Ohio State University-bound Miles Walker.

“We probably rushed for over 200 yards,” McGillicuddy said. “Our line was able to pave the way for Bryce, Elijah and all of our backs.”

Cromartie had success passing to numerous players, most notably, senior Riley Gilsenan, who had approximately six receptions, three of which gave the Bruins a first down.

On defense, senior defensive end Taylor Primack registered several sacks, while senior lineman Jurgis Schmedlen and junior lineman EJ Perez also recorded sacks for the victors.

Senior defensive back Luke Michalik intercepted a Suffield Academy pass and senior linebacker Jesse Schutzman sparked the defense, recording numerous tackles for the Bruins, who responded well from a season-opening loss to The Hun School last week. Brunswick beat Suffield Academy a season ago, 28-14.

“You get served a piece of humble pie from Hun, so they wanted to get sour taste out of their mouths,” McGillicuddy said. “Our captains and our leaders did a really good job to get the guys to understand that last week wasn’t what we were about. Top to bottom, we had a great week of practice.”

Brunswick will celebrate its Homecoming Day on Saturday with a 5 p.m. game against rival Salisbury School at Cosby Field. The Bruins were victorious against Salisbury in 2021, 33-21.