Played in rainy, windy, damp weather conditions, Brunswick School’s varsity football team’s showdown against NEPSAC rival Avon Old Farms School was a game that didn’t feature many scoring opportunities for either squad. Instead, on such a day, sometimes a team’s best offense could be its defense.

Rising up to the challenge on a day not conducive to a back-and-forth offensive display, the Bruins’ defense took care of most of the scoring in this key, early-season game.

Defensive back/captain Ryder Swenson intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown and fellow captain/defensive back Ehrhart picked off a pass in the Red Zone late in the fourth quarter, igniting Brunswick to a hard-fought 10-7 victory over Avon Old Farms School at rainy Cosby Field.

The win improved Brunswick’s record to 2-0 heading into this Saturday’s road game against Suffield Academy. The Bruins opened their season with a 43-13 home triumph against Salisbury School on Sept. 18, receiving plenty of big plays on offense. But the Bruins-Winged Beavers game was a defensive battle throughout.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Brunswick coach Wayne McGillicuddy said. “It was sloppy offensively, it was sloppy with the weather. Offensively, going 0 for in the Red Zone is something we need to clean up. Defensively, we were playing tough. We were physical, they were physical, it was a grind it out game and I’m proud of our guys.”

Quarterback Ben Rolapp passed for 205 yards despite the challenging weather conditions and wide receiver Noah Park registered six receptions for 104 yards for the Bruins (2-0).

“It was fun, as a quarterback, you kind of want the weather to be good all the time, but that’s not always what you get,” said Rolapp, who is in his second season as the Bruins’ starting quarterback. “Our defense played absolutely amazing, that’s the best game I’ve ever seen them play. If they play like that every game, we’ll win a championship.”

A smiling Rolapp added: “On offense, I feel like we got an ‘A’ on a group project and we didn’t do anything.”

Brunswick’s offense executed a significant drive in the second half, leading to an all-important field goal by placekicker Julian Dyson, making it 10-0, in favor of the Bruins.

The Bruins’ touchdown came courtesy of Swenson in the opening half. Stepping in front of an Avon Old Farms receiver, Swenson intercepted a pass by Winged Beavers quarterback Matthew Baer and ran it back all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. Dyson kicked the extra point and the Bruins seized a 7-0 advantage.

Avon ran a similar passing pattern earlier in the game, which Swenson took note of leading up to his interception for a score.

“The first drive he hesitated throwing that, so I knew that he was looking for that hitch,” Swenson explained. “He didn’t know what coverage we were in; we were running two different things when they were on trips. So, I saw him hesitate that first one, so I made him think he had it and I picked it off.”

Behind the running of Baer and Andre Perkins, Avon methodically drove down the field, reaching the Red Zone in the second quarter. The drive stalled however, thanks to a fumble recovery by Bruins linebacker Oliver Caspi, who kept the Winged Beavers off the scoreboard.

Defensive back Harrison Hantman registered a team-leading 11 tackles and forced a fumble, while linebacker James McGinty also made 11 tackles for Brunswick, which displayed excellent tackling and pass defense throughout.

Coach McGillicuddy noted how well-prepared the defensive unit was by defensive coordinator Sean Stanley.

“Coach Stanley is the best defensive coach in New England hands down,” McGillicuddy said. “He would probably be one of the best head coaches in New England. I’m very fortunate to have him on our side.”

“He’s done a phenomenal job of putting the defense in the right place,” McGillicuddy continued. “He gets those guys ready to go, the way he gets those guys ready to play together, the way he gets those guys to fly to the ball – I’m really proud of those guys, because if it wasn’t for them, we don’t win this game.”

Avon Old Farms closed to within 10-7 when Baer bulled his way into the end zone for a tough, 1-yard touchdown run with 6:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bruins took several minutes off the clock with several positive plays on offense.

Then when the Winged Beavers took possession again with just over three minutes left to play in the game, it was up to the Bruins’ defense to again, stop the visitors from taking the lead.

Avon approached the Red Zone in the game’s final minute, but Erhart sealed the win for the Bruins, intercepting Baer.

“I just knew a bunch of guys had to step up,” Erhart said, following the Bruins’ win. “The whole team played great all day, the defense had turnovers all day. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time and I’m just really thankful for that opportunity.”

Indeed, the Bruins, who play in the Northeast Prep League, expected a physical matchup entering the game.

“The defense, we stepped up, the offense had a little bit of a struggle, but the defense stepped up today,” Erhart noted. “That’s what we train for, we fall back to when we were training when we get tired and that’s a credit to our coaches. We can’t be more thankful for this.”

Swenson emphasized the importance of preparation.

“We’ve been watching the film all week, all month, we’ve been game planning them and it comes down to hard work, we’ve worked so hard,” he said. “We held it together, we watched our film, we came together as a group. This was our game.”

“We held it together and we did everything right,” Swenson continued. “All the details our coaches prepared us for and it came down to the little details.”

Defensive back Walker McClure pounced on an Avon fumble while the visitors were threatening to reach the end zone. McClure’s fumble recovery occurred at the Bruins’ 1-yard line and preserved the home team’s advantage.

James Cragin, Oliver Sims, Cal Tompkins and Kovanni McKiernan were among some of the offensive linemen that held up well against Avon Old Farms’ imposing defense.

“As an offense, we’ve got to be better, but the defense, especially in weather like this, if they can squeeze the quarterback, pick six, whatever it is, we’re going to be good,” Rolapp noted. At the end of the day, any points on the board are going to be huge.

“We showed a lot of complementary football, it’s a good sign early in the season and we just have to keep it up.”

After visiting Suffield Academy, the Bruins will travel to Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts on Oct. 10.

“I think the sky’s the limit for our team and I don’t think anyone can stop us,” Erhart said.

Here are some more pictures from Brunswick’s win vs. Avon Old Farms School. All pictures were taken by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography.

For even more pictures from Brunswick’s win vs. Avon, please visit: https://www.06878photography.com/