BREWER, Maine — It was a game dominated by the offenses, but it was one huge defensive stand that made the difference for the Brewer Witches on Friday night.
Brewer held off a late charge by defending state champion Cony of Augusta, halting the Rams in overtime before scoring on their own possession to grind out a 46-40 Class B victory on Friday night at Doyle Field.
Coach Nick Arthers’ 1-1 Witches held the Rams at bay much of the way and finished it off when senior Austin Pagnozzi reached the ball across the goal line on a 4-yard counter play in the extra period.
“I’m very proud of these guys tonight. This is a team that’s battled through a lot of adversity the past couple years,” said Brewer’s first-year head coach.
“They stepped up when they had to,” Arthers added. “It’s a group of kids that wants success. They want to achieve more.”
Brewer rode strong offensive line play and balanced running for its offensive production, while Cony (1-1) relied more heavily on its passing attack. Tackles Cameron Green and Zach Caron, guards Austin Lufkin and Tyler Bean, center Ben Bowden and tight end Tyler Davis opened up the holes all night.
Dylan Severance sparked Brewer with 130 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown, while Trey Wood netted 71 yards on 14 attempts, including two 1-yard TDs, and had two catches for 18 yards. Quarterback Quarterback Logan Rogerson ran the offense, gaining 61 yards on five carries with a pair of scores. He also completed four of seven passes for 76 yards.
Pagnozzi also turned in a 12-yard touchdown run in the first half.
“We knew we could go down the field and score. We believed in ourselves,” Severance said.
“It feels good to beat the defending state champs, so this is a great win,” he added.
Cony rode the arm of Caron, who completed 24 of 36 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns. He also gained rushed for 57 yards on 11 carries, caught nine passes for 89 yards and also spearheaded the Rams’ defensive efforts. Anthony Brunelle made seven receptions for 97 yards and Kyle Armstrong made five for 63 yards.
The Witches spent the second half trying to stay ahead. They went in front 28-20 on Severance’s 5-yard run early in the third, but Cony countered on a 2-yard sneak by Caron.
Brewer stopped the conversion run to stay up by two.
Wood’s 1-yard scoring plunge early in the fourth gave the Witches a chance to make it a two-score game again, but a dead-ball foul against Cony negated a successful PAT kick. Brewer then chose to run it in and could not convert.
Cony equalized at 34-all with 6:20 to play on Caron’s 2-yard keeper, before the teams again traded touchdowns down the stretch. Wood’s 1-yard run gave Brewer a six-point lead, but Caron hit Brunelle on a 5-yard TD toss with one second left in regulation.
The Rams had a chance to win it, but the PAT kick went wide right, forcing overtime.
Brewer won the overtime toss and chose defense first, holding the Rams on a fourth-and-goal pass from the 3.
The Witches needed three plays to score, with Pagnozzi breaking the plane, before fumbling the ball, to win it.
“We were working hard. We knew it was reachable,” Severance said of the win. “We came into the game thinking we could do it and we’ve been preparing for it all week.”
The Rams began to regain some momentum to end the first half as Caron lofted a 42-yard scoring strike to Brunelle on the final play of the quarter. Spencer Buck’s PAT kick got Cony within 22-20.
Cony had scored on its first possession, going 64 yards on five plays. Shostak took a screen pass from Caron in the middle of the field and cut back to the left for a 26-yard scoring pass only 2:27 into the contest.
Brewer answered immediately as Rogerson was flushed out of the pocket to his right, got around the corner, then cut back against the grain and scooted 56 yards for a touchdown. His conversion pass to Wood put the hosts on top 8-7.
The Rams countered with an 11-play, 64-yard march. Caron completed three passes to Shostak and Caron eventually scored on a 5-yard keeper. The kick was no good, but Cony led 13-8.
Undaunted, Brewer retaliated with a drive that covered 63 yards on seven plays, all runs. Pagnozzi’s 19-yard scamper gave the hosts a 14-13 edge early in the second quarter.
The Witches later expanded the lead via a 10-play drive that consumed 67 yards. It was highlighted by a 21-yard, third-down completion from Rogerson to Tyler Davis.
Rogerson capped the march with a 1-yard sneak and Severance added the conversion rush to put the Witches on top 22-13.