Brunswick Football Goes Bowling vs. Milton Saturday

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Brunswick School's Nick Henkel scrambles away from pressure in the team's 28-14 Senior Night win over Westminster on Saturday. (Evan Triantafilidis photo)
Brunswick School’s Nick Henkel scrambles away from pressure in the team’s 28-14 Senior Night win over Westminster on Saturday. (Evan Triantafilidis photo)

Despite holding Cheshire Academy to 20 points below their season average Saturday, Brunswick lost a hard-fought game, 16-9, to end their regular season at 7-2.

Playing without starting quarterback Nick Henkel and running back Jason Kennedy, the Bruins defense led the way, while the depth of the offense was tested and eventually turned down in the final minutes of the game.

But the non-league loss didn’t knock them out of the postseason. Head coach Jarrett Shine got a phone call the following day notifying him that Brunswick would be playing in a NEPSAC bowl game for the third straight year.

“If we had beaten Cheshire, it would have been a strong chance that we would have had a home bowl game,” Shine said. “We just couldn’t pull off that victory Saturday. Now we’ll play at a neutral location against another team from farther away.”

The Bruins will play Milton Academy tomorrow—Saturday—at Avon Old Farms.

“This is very exciting, because we are playing for bragging rights to say that we are New England champs,” Milton Academy head coach Kevin Macdonald said. “We have been in a few of these over the years and our kids get really hyped up for this game.”

According to Shine, he’ll have a healthy Henkel and Kennedy at his disposal.

Reflecting on his three-year streak of qualifying for a bowl game, Shine credited the players that have stuck with his program, specifically his hard working senior class.

“It’s really about building the confidence in a young player,” Shine said. “I don’t take any of the credit for it. These kids have responded to our challenges as coaches. We can prepare them all we can as coaches, but it’s up to them to execute and they’ve done it.”

“I think a big advantage for Brunswick is that they’ve been here before and they are going to be comfortable,” Macdonald said. “They beat a team in our league in last year’s bowl game fairly handily. I think that will make them feel even more comfortable. Also, Brunswick is a very good team and plays a tough schedule. We knew that going in, and that we are going to have play really well in order to have a chance to win.”

Senior safety Riley Walsh is among a core group of seniors who remembers when Brunswick did not qualify for a bowl game following a one-win season in 2012.

“We’ve learned a lot about how we have to persevere through playing against really good teams,” Walsh said. “Coach Shine has definitely struck on that point all season long. We know it’s so easy to lose in our league, like we had in the past years, and now we’re trying to play better.

“With our offensive weapons coming back this week, in Henkel and Sean Morris, hopefully they can do some damage and we can pull out a big win against a good team.”

Despite missing the last game with a concussion, quarterback Nick Henkel was able to find a role in the team’s effort on Saturday, but hopes to lead his team as he steps back under center this weekend.

“I had the opportunity to help out Nick [Blum] in the last game and made sure he was ready to go,” said Henkel. “When guys would come off the field I could offer them a different perspective on the game. At first I was sad that I wasn’t playing, but then I realized I still could have an impact.

“For the last three years of Brunswick football, we’ve gone to a bowl game,” added Henkel. “Before that, however, I don’t think we’ve been to a bowl in a while. Any time we can get back into a New England Championship bowl game is huge.”

Milton Academy (6-2), located just outside of Boston, will travel to Avon Old Farms for the neutral site bowl game.

“This is very exciting,” Macdonald said. “We were saying to our kids that if we win our last game, we have a good chance to go. When we got the call saying we were in, that was very exciting. And we are very happy to be playing who we are playing because we would rather play a really good team than a small prep school where you pretty much know you’re going to win. This is going to be a challenge for us.”

For Milton, setting the pace for the game on the ground is going to be a key for the team.

“We definitely have to establish a running game,” Macdonald said. “That’s not going to be easy, because their line is very big. They are definitely bigger than our line. So that’s always the number one thing going into every game. We have to establish a running game. On defense, in games like this, you have to make a big play. Someone has to step up and get an interception, a pick-six, a sack or something.”

“We’ve started watching film and they look like a really good team,” Shine said. “I think as long as we execute we’re going to have a fun time offensively.”

Shine added that his team still will need to iron out a few wrinkles in preparation for Saturday, but credited his assistant coaches for the preparations they are making to end the season on a high note.

“We’ll be preparing some things they [Milton] haven’t seen yet,” Shine said. “It’s about physical football. I think we might be bigger than these guys up front, but if we can control the line of scrimmage, start with the run and open up with the pass, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

Editor’s Note: Greenwich Sentinel sports editor Paul Silverfarb helped contribute to this article.

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