MEDINA — Cue up George Thorogood’s guitar intro because Brunswick’s offense was “Bad to the Bone.”
Dominating the line of scrimmage and running the ball at will with their flexbone triple-option offense Friday, the Blue Devils technically upset Medina 35-7 in a Greater Cleveland Conference game that could easily be considered a TKO.
So much for records and so much for perception, as Brunswick (2-4, 2-1) and the Bees (3-3, 1-2) are headed in opposite directions after the Blue Devils rolled up 496 yards.
“We got our (butts) kicked on defense all day long,” Medina coach Dan Sutherland said.
Brunswick’s Nick Horton dives into the endzone against Medina’s Dillon Munoz (8) and James Smith (18) for a touchdown during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)
If there was one thing Brunswick and Medina could agree on, it was that statement.
Running behind the significantly improved offensive line of Colin Sustersic, Eddie Conway, Robbie McHaffie, Steven Spickler and Jared Kvaka and tight end Drew Kratche, slotback Jacob Martin led the way with career highs in carries (20), yards (132) and touchdowns (3).
Martin was just a fraction of the clock-burning machine, though, as bulldozing fullback Alex Gillespie had 16 carries for 115 yards, including a truck-stick-inspired hit that peeled the helmet off Bees safety Collin Winters. Quarterback Nick Horton added 49 yards and two short scores while also going 7-for-12 passing for 123 yards.
Brunswick’s touchdown drives covered five, 15, seven, nine and 16 plays and 75, 80, 75, 82 and 51 yards. The final one in particular was football poetry, as the Blue Devils went into their old I-formation offense, grinded 7:17 off the second-half clock and punched it in on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
The game felt like the big brother smacking aside the annoying little brother.
“Obviously, we always expect to win, but there’s always that stuff on social media where everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’re 1-4,”’ Martin said. “But, honestly, records don’t matter.”
Since beating Elyria 31-14 two weeks ago and causing many to wonder if they’re for real, the Bees have allowed 77 points and 1,028 yards.
“Let’s be honest,” Sutherland said. “The last two games we’ve been getting our butts kicked on defense. We can’t stop them, we’re getting pushed around up front, we’re not tackling at all and it’s disappointing. Defensively we did not come to play tonight. It’s disappointing.”
For all its smashmouth qualities offensively, Brunswick’s defense was impressive, too.
Led by linebacker Jordan Parrish’s two tackles for loss and an interception, Brunswick held touted Medina running back Jimmy Daw to 33 yards on nine carries and broke up a half-dozen passes. Bees quarterback John Curtis was plagued by five drops, but still was only 13-for-37 for 217 yards.
Seventy-one of those yards were on a TD strike to Jordan Fultz that tied the game at 7 just 2:47 in.
The Bees’ offensive struggles were mainly because of Brunswick’s physical defense, which also got two pass breakups from Dean Ramicone, 1½ tackles for loss from Michael Marcovitch and important QB pressures from Sam DoBroka and Aaron Naples.
“The kids are just playing hard,” Brunswick coach Luke Beal said as assistants Grant Relic and Eric Engelke took pictures of the scoreboard with their smart phones. “Tonight, we played pretty much our straight defense. There’s not a lot of adjustments. They’re just playing better.”
Brunswick couldn’t have looked more impressive right out of the gate, as it needed only five plays to cover 75 yards, with Horton capping the drive with a bizarre touchdown.
The Blue Devils snapped the ball and attempted to run a midline option as the referee simultaneously blew the whistle. All 22 players froze and looked toward the referee, but Horton was the first to realize the play was still live. He then beat a pair of defenders to the right pylon.
Medina answered 1:09 later when Curtis found Fultz over the middle, but it was all Brunswick after that, as the Blue Devils kept the chains moving by converting 10-of-15 third downs and 3-of-3 fourth downs.
The final hopes for the Bees were crushed with eight seconds left in the third quarter, when a Curtis pass went through a receiver’s hands and into the arms of Parrish with the score sitting at 28-7. That set up Brunswick’s 7:17, 51-yard drive that led to the second strings getting some action.
“Our line blocked tremendous tonight,” Martin said. “In the first half of the season, we struggled, obviously — I’m sure you guys know that — but our line really stepped up tonight. I’m really proud of them. I give really all the credit to them.”
Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.
Brunswick 35, Medina 7
BRUNSWICK 14 7 7 7 — 35
MEDINA 7 0 0 0 — 7
First
B — Nick Horton 2 run (Kyle Wolf kick), 10:22.
M — Jordan Fultz 71 pass from John Curtis (Tyler Vogrin kick), 9:13.
B — Jacob Martin 8 run (Wolf kick), 2:40.
Second
B — Horton 1 run (Wolf kick), 7:37.
Third
B — Martin 4 run (Wolf kick), 7:39.
Fourth
B — Martin 1 run (Wolf kick), 4:17.
