Saturday’s football game between the Brewer Witches of Maine and Salem Witches of Massachusetts conjured mixed emotions from the energized crowd at Doyle Field.
The away team trounced Brewer 50-6, but local football fans of all generations came out to see the 89-year-old coaching legend Ken Perrone, who coached both teams to regional prominence decades ago, and attended the game played in his honor. Brewer and Salem are only two of three high schools in the U.S. to bear the Witches nickname.
The second-annual Cauldron Cup started out on a high note for Brewer, which officially dedicated Doyle Field’s press box to Perrone before kickoff on Saturday.
The home team scored a touchdown on the opening drive, benefiting from a couple of timely flags and some strong runs from Jaxson Bragg-Ouellette. The junior converted on fourth and short for Brewer near midfield, and after a 12-yard pass to fellow junior Brody Muncy he emphatically punched in his first career TD from nine yards out.
A blocked extra point signaled where the game was headed, as Salem scored seven unanswered touchdowns on Brewer, three of which came on plays of 86 yards or more.
“It felt like a championship. We came out and hit them right in the mouth, and it was electric,” Brewer junior fullback Morgan Judkins said. “Obviously, I don’t like how the score turned out.”
Salem retook a 7-6 lead on a three-minute drive down the field, culminating in a 36-yard catch-and-run touchdown for senior captain Rocco Ryan. The Witches in black and red then forced a Brewer punt, and a few plays later senior Michael Curtin (138 all-purpose yards, two TDs) was running in an 86-yard touchdown along the visitor’s sideline.
“I certainly know [Perrone] came to see both teams play well, but we didn’t happen to play very well. They’re a good ballclub. They have a lot of speed and everything else,” said Brewer assistant coach Dana Corey, who quarterbacked Brewer’s 1968 state championship team under Perrone. “The energy was there as far as the crowd was concerned, and we had some bright spots. But there’s a lot of things we need to fix as a team.”
Salem also won the Cauldron Cup last year, held in Massachusetts as a controlled scrimmage. The Witches went on to finish as state finalists in 2023, and have their fair share of Perrone proteges on their sideline — head coach Matt Bouchard was a 1994 state finalist, and wide receiver Rocco Ryan is the ninth member of his family to pass through the Salem system.
Later in the second quarter, Ryan (236 all-purpose yards, three TDs) and company negated a Brewer fumble recovery and forced the home team to punt. Senior Steven Youngs pinned Salem on its own one-yard line, but Ryan broke free on second down and sprinted past Brewer’s secondary for an impressive 99-yard touchdown run.
“I have eight uncles who were coached by Perrone, so it means a lot to honor him and have a good game. We know the tradition and how much he’s done for both programs,” Ryan said. “Feeling the energy with all of the fans here, it really did feel like a big game. It felt like a movie set.”
Brewer wasn’t able to get into a groove in the second half either, giving up a 92-yard touchdown run to junior Elvis Espinal in the third quarter and a 51-yard touchdown run to junior Alvin Laurent in the fourth. A fourth down stop in the third was the silver lining for Brewer’s defense.
The Witches finished with 34 passing yards and 121 rushing yards on the day. Senior Jake Perry had two receptions for 23 yards, and Bragg-Ouelette had 55 yards rushing.
The Cauldron Cup will travel back to Salem (1-1), where the third annual Ken Perrone Witches Classic will be held. In the meantime, Brewer (0-2) will look to bounce back versus Medomak Valley (1-1) away next Friday at 7 p.m.
