By David Fierro
Brunswick School’s varsity football team has experienced some memorable victories and performances on its Homecoming Day games over the years, yet the triumph the team produced and the jam-packed crowd at Cosby Field witnessed on Oct. 25th against Phillips Exeter Academy was a Homecoming affair truly in a class of its own.
From trailing by two scores, to going ahead by a double digits, to being behind again, the Bruins and their faithful fans/alumni felt plenty of emotions during the Homecoming matchup versus visiting Phillips Exeter Academy.
Yet, when sophomore wide receiver Alex McCormack caught a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Ben Rolapp and placekicker Matias DeBono perfectly split the uprights with the ensuing point-after-attempt with only three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, pure joy and jubilation were the emotions felt by the Bruins and their large group of supporters on this day.
McCormack’s 15-yard touchdown reception from Rolapp, followed by DeBono’s extra point gave Brunswick an absolutely thrilling 44-43 come-from-behind win over Phillips Exeter, a much-needed win for the Bruins, who upped their record to 4-2 overall.
On the winning touchdown, Rolapp, who was in the shotgun, received the snap, dropped back to pass, felt some pressure, rolled to his right and fired a pass to the left that was caught by McCormack, who barely made his way into the right corner of the end zone, before being pushed out by a pair of Exeter defenders. Rolapp’s pass was also headed in the direction of junior wide receiver Landon O’Hara, put the ball sailed pass his outstretched left hand and found its way into the waiting arms of McCormack for the exciting score in the final seconds.
“It was a deep route for me and I really just went deep, watched the quarterback roll out and honestly I thought the ball was going right to Landon (O’Hara) No. 11, but it was headed right to me, but it was great,” McCormack said of his game-winning touchdown reception. “I couldn’t have done it without the team. We were down, but we came back and it took the whole team. It was great”
After McCormack hauled in the TD reception, making the score 43-43 with three seconds left in the fourth quarter, all eyes were then on DeBono, who lined up for the PAT. It was anything but a typical point-after attempt however, since the Bruins were called for an unsportsmanlike penalty for excessive celebration on the touchdown, which made it a 35-yard PAT for DeBono. Not fazed however, DeBono was perfect with his extra point attempt booting the ball through the uprights and the host Bruins had their 44-43 Homecoming Day victory.
“At Brunswick, it has to be right up there,” Brunswick coach Wayne McGillicuddy said of where the win ranked during his tenure at the school. “This one and the one when we came back from 28 at Avon, to score 28 in the fourth. Right now, it’s the best game that we have.”
Trailing 43-37 after Phillips Exeter scored a touchdown to take the lead, Brunswick had only 51 seconds to reach the end zone for the go-ahead score. Needing a win to avoid their third loss of the season, did the Bruins panic with less than one-minute remaining? Certainly not – instead they showed outstanding poise and passing in the face of the pressurized situation.
Efficiently running their two-minute offense, the Brunswick quickly moved the ball down the field on the game’s fateful final drive, with Rolapp completing several key passes before McCormack caught the game-winner.
“With us being so young and inexperienced, it’s been a big point of emphasis that we’ve had this year as an offense or as a team as a whole,” McGillicuddy said of his squad’s two-minute offense. “We practice two-minute every week, if not, twice a week, so we’re confident in our two-minute calls. I’m proud of the guys in how they prepare for it.”
As was the case the entire game, Rolapp showed stellar rapport with his receivers during Wick’s go-ahead touchdown drive.
“We always practice two-minute, so we were just trying to stay in that head space, stay calm and take what the defense gives you,” said Rolapp, who is in his first season as Brunswick’s starting quarterback.
The Bruins were ignited throughout the game by consistent big plays from junior wide receiver Noah Park and sophomore running back Sawyer Bligh. Park made highlight reel plays in each quarter, extending Brunswick drives with clutch receptions, setting up scores and also reaching the end zone himself. Bligh received the bulk of the carries out of the backfield, powering the Bruins’ running game.
“Those guys work their tails off,” McGillicuddy said of ‘Wick’s running backs. “We’ve had a two-headed monster in the backfield with Sawyer and Colt (Inman). Our thing is rock with who’s been successful, today, Sawyer had his number called, he was successful.”
Brunswick’s Homecoming game had an inauspicious start, as Phillips Exeter Academy, which hails from xxx, jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Following a fumble on the Bruins’ opening drive of the game, the Big Red squad took over possession in ‘Wick’s territory. Several plays later, senior running back Tyrone Neal scored on a 5-yard run up the middle and after the PAT, Phillips Exeter had a 7-0 lead with 10:54 left in the first quarter.
Neal’s running propelled the visitors’ next drive, which also ended with a touchdown. Senior quarterback Jake Attaway took it into the end zone on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, putting Big Red on top 14-0 at the 4:07 mark of the opening quarter. From there, the Bruins gained momentum, scoring final 17 points of the first half to enter halftime with a 17-14 advantage.
Rolapp completed passes for first downs to McCormack and Park, before Park scored on a 3-yard run up the middle, cutting Exeter’s edge to 14-7 with 15 seconds to go in the opening quarter. DeBono converted a 29-yard field goal at the 2:45 mark of the second period, then after the Bruins’ defense made a key stop, the hosts executed their two-minute offense efficiently to take their first lead of the game.
After McCormack moved the chains with another reception for a first down, Rolapp rolled right and connected with Park, who dove to catch the pass for score from about 10 yards out, putting Brunswick on top, 17-14 with just 35 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
“Noah Park is going to do Noah Park things and Sawyer stepping up to take a lot of the carries, balling out – I’m proud of those guys,” Rolapp said following the Bruins’ exhilarating win. “We trust our coaching, we trust our fundamentals and trust that we’re a good football team. It’s a huge win, a huge turning point for our season.”
The Bruins started the third quarter strong, as Sawyer escaped Exeter’s defense for a 50-yard touchdown run that saw him begin his run up the middle, before cutting left and dashing down the left sideline. His touchdown run, coupled with DeBono’s PAT, put ‘Wick ahead, 24-14 exactly midway through the third quarter.
“The team worked so hard this week, the coaches prepared us well,” Bligh said. “Everyone did their job, everyone worked hard. I had confidence in our guys.”
Exeter closed to within 24-21 on Neal’s 1-yard scoring run with 1:41 left to play in the third period. Brunswick wasn’t done scoring in the third quarter, however, as Bligh reached the end zone on a 5-yard run, following a big run for a first down by Park, who gave Exeter’s defense problems the entire game.
Brunswick held a 30-21 advantage after Bligh’s TD run, but the Big Red squad responded with a drive capped by Attaway’s 4-yard touchdown on a running play, making it a 30-28 game with 7:11 remaining in the final quarter.
The Bruins offense remained on a roll enabling the hosts to regain their two-score cushion. Rolapp completed a pass to O’Hara at the Phillips Exeter 19-yard line and shortly after, Bligh reached the end zone on an 11-yard burst, giving the Bruins a seemingly comfortable 37-28 lead considering the time that was left in the game – 4:28.
Yet like Brunswick, Exeter’s offense moved the ball down the field quickly, especially in the fourth quarter. Attaway threw a 30-yard scoring strike to senior wideout Luke Rogers with 2:40 to go, cutting ‘Wick’s lead to 37-35. The visitors’ defense quickly forced the Bruins’ offense to punt on the ensuing possession, then after getting the ball back, marched down the field again. This time, Neal dashed into the end zone for a 5-yard scoring run. Electing to go for two points, Phillips Exeter Academy converted it, with Rogers catching the conversion pass, giving Big Red a 43-37 lead with only 57 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.
That set the scene for Brunswick to take possession and embark on their momentous game-winning drive, which ended with McCormack’s memorable catch off Rolapp’s pass with just three ticks left on the clock.
“That was just amazing, it was probably the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” said Park, after producing another outstanding performance. “Having like 50 seconds to score on that last drive and executing was amazing.”
“It all goes to my coaches, coach McGillicuddy is the best coach,” Park continued. “He schemed it up perfectly and we just executed. The offense played great, we executed all our plays perfectly. We had a great week of practice this week. We win games Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. We win with preparation and it was just a great game. Props to Exeter, they’re a great team. They put up a good fight.”
The Bruins piled up plenty of rushing yards behind Sawyer and their offensive linemen comprised of senior Rowan Ahrens, Michael Marini, Owen Swenson, Kovanni McKiernan and Sean Berntsen. Senior linebacker/captain Jake Greene, junior defensive lineman James Cragin and senior defensive back Kieran Edwards paced the Bruins’ defense, each making key tackles resulting in lost yardage.
Besides defeating Phillips Exeter Academy, the Bruins have beaten Salisbury School, Suffield Academy, Belmont Hill School and Phillips Academy. Their losses have come against Avon Old Farms and Cheshire School. The Bruins are 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the Northeast Prep League. They are in action again on Nov. 1 with a home game against Deerfield Academy at 5 p.m.
“Exeter is a well-coached football team, they’re tough, they’re gritty,” McGillicuddy noted. “All of their guys go both ways, they’re physical, they’re hard-nosed. We talked about who is going to be the grittier team and who is going to make the least amount of penalties. We shouldn’t have to kick a 37-plus yard extra point to win the game there, putting ourselves in a second and 30 to try to win the game. We should have never been in that situation, so there’s a lot of things to clean up.”
