Brunswick football team determined to continue its successful tradition

By David Fierro on August 28, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Photo by David Fierro: Brunswick School quarterback Elijah Cromartie is coming off a strong junior season.

Banners displaying the NEPSAC Bowl titles the Brunswick School football team won were recently hung behind the bleachers at the school’s Cosby Field and the Bruins obviously hope to add one more banner to their collection this fall.

The Bruins, who won the NEPSAC Class A Mike Silipo Bowl in 2022, took the first steps toward their journey of hopefully, producing another memorable season, last week when it began preparing for their upcoming 2023 season. Practice is in session for the Bruins, who enter their 2023 campaign with aspirations of once again, becoming one of the premier teams in the NEPSAC’s Northeast Prep division.

“It’s a new season and our goal is to hang another banner,” said Brunswick coach Wayne McGillicuddy, who is beginning his second season at the helm. “There’s a lot of good leaders here. We are very experienced at certain positions. Our guys truly understand our culture and our program and are buying in.”

Photo by David Fierro: Brunswick running back Bryce Davis, carries the ball during a drill on Aug. 25, 2023, at Brunswick.

Brunswick certainly had an impressive response to its season-opening loss to The Hun School one season ago. The Bruins won nine straight games after dropping their season-opener, finishing the 2023 season with a record of 9-1. And victory No. 9 was especially significant.

Brunswick’s 2023 season concluded with a 33-21 win over host Choate Rosemary Hall in the NEPSAC Class A Mike Silipo Bowl last November. The title game saw the Bruins bolt out to a 20-0 first half lead on their way to winning the NEPSAC Bowl matchup.

“It still feels surreal,” McGillicuddy said of winning the title. “I remember Mike Hannigan (former head coach) hiring me four years ago and last year getting to run your own program – it was special.”

Photo by David Fierro: The Brunswick School football team won the NEPSAC Mike Silipo Bowl in 2022.

“We had great, great, senior leadership,” McGillicuddy continued. “It was a very successful year. It’s tough to sit there and reflect on it, because everything worked our way, when you rip off nine wins in a row.”

Miles Walker, Jesse Schutzman, Tomas Delgado and Riley Gilsenan were the Bruins’ captains in 2022. The team graduated more than 20 players from its 2022 squad.

“That senior group has to be one of the best I’ve been around,” McGillicuddy noted. “Every single kid bought in and every single kid played for the name in front of the jersey, not the back. They truly bled brown and white. They played for the person next to each other and they played for the pride of Brunswick.”

Photo by David Fierro: Brunswick incoming junior Ethan Long is a safety who has received offers from Division I schools.

Though Brunswick graduated all of its starting wide receivers and tight ends from a season ago, returning for his senior year is quarterback Elijah Cromartie. He transferred to Brunswick from Windsor High School in 2022 and made an immediate impact on the Bruins’ offense. Cromartie proceeded to earn Northeast Football Conference First Team All-League honors for the 2022 season.

“Eli is a smart quarterback who can make every throw on the field,” McGillicuddy said. “It is tough for anyone coming into to a new team, a new program, to learn an offense, learn terminology. For someone coming on to a new team and have a 71 pass completion percentage like he had last season was a great thing.”

Brunswick’s offensive line in 2022 featured, William Janis, left, Miles Walker, center and Matty Augustine, middle. Walker and Janis graduated this past May and are playing football at Ohio State and Holy Cross, respectively. Augustine an incoming junior, has already received numerous offers to play Division I football.

Indeed, the Bruins’ offense flourished with Cromartie leading the offense, which was ignited by their strong offensive line and dynamic receivers and running backs. The Bruins traditionally have an imposing offensive line and this season should be no different. Returning to the offensive line are senior Jadon Lafontant, junior Matty Augustine and senior Patrick O’Connor, all of whom played starting roles in 2022.

Lafontant, a 2022 Northeast Prep Conference First Team All-League selection, has committed to play football at the Division I level at the University of Kentucky. Lafontant (6-foot-4, 310 pounds) provided excellent pass protection a season ago and consistently opened holes for the running backs to sprint through.

Photo by David Fierro: Brunswick’s linemen compete in a drill during a practice on August 23, 2023, at Brunswick.

Augustine (6-7, 280) is coming off a stellar sophomore season on the offensive line. An imposing presence on the line, Augustine has already received offers to play football at premier Division I schools such as Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Florida State, Tennessee, the University of Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan State.

O’Connor, who helped solidify the offensive line last fall, brings experience and skill to the unit. Graduating from last season’s offensive line were Miles Walker and William Janis. Walker, a 2022 First Team All-New England selection and First Team Northeast Conference All-League honoree, is playing at Ohio State and Janis, a 2022 First Team Northeast Conference All-League selection, is continuing his football career at Holy Cross.

“We have three returning starters on the offensive line, which is awesome,” McGillicuddy said. “We also have some guys who are newcomers and guys that have come up through the program and have developed. Right now, we have some things to fix, so we’ll see where we’re at.”

Brunswick’s Bryce Davis catches a pass out of the back at a recent practice.

Augustine, Hudson Hausmann, Lafontant, E.J. Perez and Tommy Pope are the Bruins’ captains.

“The leadership is there,” McGillicuddy noted. “This a phenomenal group. They were all contributors last year.”

Running back should be a position of strength for the Bruins. Returning is senior Bryce Davis, who sparked the backfield in 2022. Davis rushed for 1,202 yards last season, while averaging 5.8 yards a carry.

The Bruins’ leading rusher scored a team-high 17 touchdowns last fall, including a key scoring run in the NEPSAC Class A Mike Silipo Bowl against Choate Rosemary Hall. He received First Team All-New England and First Team Northeast Prep honors last season.

Like last season, Brunswick’s offense has the potential to score plenty of points.

“Bryce looks phenomenal,” McGillicuddy said. “He is 15 pounds heavier than last year, all muscle.”

Also returning to the backfield are junior Jaylen Noisette, junior Zay Smith, Patrick Hiebert (junior) and Sean Ryan (junior).

“We are very deep at running back, with an experienced group.”

Photo by David Fierro: Brunswick’s Zay Smith carries the ball during a running back drill at the Bruins’ recent practice.

Wide receiver is a position of transition for the Bruins, who graduated all of their starters from last season’s championship squad, including Tomas Delgado (43 receptions, 578 yards, nine touchdown catches in 2022). Delgado, who will play lacrosse at Duke University, received First Team All-New England and Northeast Conference First Team honors in 2022.

Jason Agudelo (43 receptions, 243 yards, three touchdown catches) was also among some of the receivers who graduated.

“We are really, really young at wide receiver,” McGillicuddy noted. ” That is where we graduated a lot of talent.”

The Brunswick football is coming off a 2022 season in which it finished with a record of 9-1.

Tight end is also a position the Bruins are looking to first-season starters to step up. Riley Gilsenan led the tight ends during his senior season last fall and served as one of the captains, along with Miles Walker, Jesse Schutzman (playing football at Yale) and Delgado.

On defense, returning players Ethan Long and Hudson Hausmann will be relied upon to help lead the secondary. Long, a junior, plays safety, a position he excelled at a season ago.

The Bruins starting safety earned Northeast Prep Conference First Team All-League honors for the 2022 season. Long has already received offers from schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Hausmann, a senior, is coming off a season that saw him earn Northeast Prep First Team All-League accolades. Luke Michalik, a 2022 All-New England First Team selection and First Team Northeast Conference honoree, was among some of the graduates from the defensive unit. He was also chosen as the New England Defensive Player of the Year, with one other player.

Brunswick’s quarterbacks prepare for the upcoming 2023 season. The Bruins play Cheshire Academy in their season-opener.

Blaine McClure, a senior, is also among some of the returning athletes in the secondary. Perez is back to help power the defensive line for the Bruins, while Pope and junior Justin Norton are back to lead the group of linebackers.

Brunswick scrimmages The Hun School on the road on Friday, then will travel to Loomis Chaffee School for a scrimmage on Sept. 9. The Bruins will visit rival Cheshire Academy on Sept. 15 for a 6 p.m. season-opening game.

Brunswick won the NEPSAC Mike Silipo Bowl against Choate Rosemary Hall last season.

Brunswick’s first home game is Sept. 22 against Salisbury School. We will have a full season preview of the Bruins a few days prior to their season-opening game against Cheshire Academy.