Scoring on six of its first seven possessions, Brunswick School’s football team certainly made it clear early in Saturday’s showdown against Salisbury School that it was going to have a happy Homecoming.

Gaining big yards on the ground, getting plenty of production through the air and playing rock-solid defense, the Bruins had all facets of their game working before a big Homecoming Day crowd, which filled all areas of Cosby Field.

Junior running back Bryce Davis ran for three touchdowns, senior wide receiver Tomas Delgado caught two scoring strikes from junior quarterback Elijah Cromartie and Brunswick’s defense was dominant throughout in a 49-6 rout of visiting Salisbury in a Northeast Prep matchup. The triumph raised the Bruins’ record to 2-1.

“The boys came out, they worked hard, they had a phenomenal week of practice and we’ve had great leadership of making sure practices are better and it showed on the field in all three phases of the game,” Brunswick first-season coach Wayne McGillicuddy said. “It was nice to see all phases of the game and defense do a great job. We were executing in all phases of the game.”

The Bruins, who topped Suffield Academy on the road last week for their first win of the season, unleashed its potential on both sides of the ball Saturday evening before their spirited home crowd, which including a big student section and alumni.

“I thought we were clicking on every feature of the game,” said Delgado, one of the squad’s captains. “The run game was working, so that opened up stuff in the pass game. The pass game was working, so that opened up the run game. It all compliments each other.”

After the Bruins’ defense made the Crimson Knights go three-and-out on the game’s first possession, it took exactly two plays for the home team to excite the crowd with a touchdown. Receiving great protection from the offensive line, Cromartie dropped back and threw a deep pass down the right sideline that was caught by Delgado, who dashed into the end zone for a 74-yard touchdown. Sophomore Oliver Reynolds converted the point-after attempt and the Bruins took a 7-0 lead with 9:40 remaining in the first quarter.

“It’s a feeling like no other, you have the alumni in the corner here all the fans,” Delgado said of scoring the matchup’s first touchdown. “It was the second play of the drive and it’s just a great feeling.”

Brunswick increased its advantage on its third possession with another big play. This time, Davis ran away from Salisbury’s defense, sprinting 65-yards down the left sideline for a score, giving the Bruins a 14-0 advantage at the 1:20 mark of the opening quarter.

“We just came firing out on all cylinders,” Davis said. “We made a point to run the ball and we did that and it worked out perfectly for us.”

Davis knows the team was in top form against the Crimson Knights.

“We’re a good team when we run the ball effectively,” he said. “We threw passes, we ran the ball, we did everything effectively.”

Salisbury’s ensuing drive stalled when Bruins senior linebacker/captain Jesse Schutzman and junior defensive lineman Jurgis Schmedlen combined to sack senior quarterback Brady O’Sullivan. The Bruins took possession and quickly lit the scoreboard again, with Cromartie rolling left and connecting with Delgado for a 9-yard touchdown at the 7:30 mark of the second quarter.

“I had 1-on-1 coverage on the left side and they had a lot of people in the box and coach just called me on a comeback on the back side 1-on-1 and I caught it,” Delgado said of his second touchdown reception. “We started off strong, we had a great week of practice, which I was proud of and coming in and there was a lot of energy. We were all excited, we knew we put in the work, we just had to execute.”

The Bruins’ defense made another stop when the Crimson Knights got the ball back. Sophomore defensive back Ethan Long intercepted a pass from O’Sullivan, setting the Bruins up deep in Crimson Knights territory. Cromartie handed the ball to senior running back Riley Redahan, who pitched it back to Cromartie, who then threw a scoring strike to sophomore Jaylen Noisette, making it 28-0 with 6:25 still to go in the second quarter.

Recovering a Salisbury fumble, Brunswick’s defense set the offense up at the visitors’ 25-yard line and two plays later, Davis ran it in to the end zone from 10 yards out for a 35-0 halftime lead.

“We did our job, we made a lot of plays,” Schutzman said. “I’m really proud of our D-line, our interior seven for stopping the run. I couldn’t ask for more from these guys. The D-line played lights out and I’m really proud of them. It’s amazing to win this game in front of the whole alumni, the student body, teachers and faculty – I couldn’t ask for more.”

Davis added a 10-yard touchdown run in the second half and Redahan reached the end zone on a short run for a score, also in the second half, to cap the victors’ scoring. Salisbury’s score didn’t come until there was 3:17 left in the fourth quarter, as O’Sullivan ran it in from inside the 5-yard line.

“Defensively, they’re doing a great job, they’re flying around,” McGillicuddy said. “They’re filling their gaps, we’re getting an extra hitter in and we were able to execute.”

Behind senior Miles Walker, senior William Janis, junior Patrick O’Connor, junior Matthew Augustine and junior Jordan LaFontant, the Bruins running backs had a lot of room to run and Cromartie was well protected throughout.

“It’s good to get a win on my last Homecoming,” Ohio State-bound Walker said. “We played well, there’s still things we have to work on, but I’m glad we got a win today. In practice, we constantly ran the ball to prepare for this game and during the game, our O-line was talking to the running back and quarterback on the sideline.”

Brunswick will look to gain its third straight win when it travels to Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts for a 2 p.m. Northeast Prep League matchup.

“We have to keep working hard, act like this game didn’t happen, come back next week and hopefully, get a win,” Walker said.