Little time was wasted by the pirates letting go of three years of pent-up frustration.
The Brunswick High Senior Class in 2021 had never beaten Richmond Hill until they completed a 42-7 demolition of their local rivals at Glynn County Stadium on Friday.
Fiddling with back-to-back Wildcats games helped the Pirates take a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game, and Brunswick never looked back.
“You got the job done early,” said Sean Pender, Pirates’ head coach. “We got a three-and-out, got a good punt, and then the defense had the ball and the goal. That was huge.
“Then fumbling at kick-off enabled us to hit it right there and take the lead, and we were able to maintain that momentum.”
Brunswick (8-0, 4-0 Region 2-6A) rose to the game rankings in the top 10 of Class 6A in both scored and allowed points and improved both numbers in a dominant team win over Richmond Hill (2-5, 2 -2).
Despite a quick three-and-off to open the game on offense, the Pirates scored their first points of the competition just minutes later when linebacker Adam Mweemba met Wildcats quarterback Ty Goldrick in the backcourt, forcing a fumble that picked up was and returned 33 yards from Jameer Lang for the score.
At the next whistle, Richmond Hill put the ball back on the lawn. Ree Simmons bounced back for Brunswick on the 9-yard line, and three games later defeated Chuckobe Hill on the 1-yard touchdown to extend the Pirates’ lead.
Hill scored again in the first game of the second quarter, this time from 22 yards when the Pirates ran away with the game.
Richmond Hill struggled to move the ball and only scored 163 yards overall offensive that night, with 78 coming in the first half. The Wildcats fumbled the ball twice, hit four times, and flipped it in the first two quarters on downs.
Brunswick also struck four times in the first half but also managed to make big moves when needed by going into the locker room with 185 yards overall offensive – 94 passes and 91 rushings. Seventy-nine of the passing yards came on the Pirates’ last two games of the half, consecutive deep balls to Kevin Thomas for 41 yards and a 38-yard touchdown, respectively.
It was the illustration of team football through Braunschweig, with the offense, defense and special teams each making a significant contribution to the 28-0 lead.
“Richmond Hill loaded the box; We had to throw it and when we threw it we succeeded, ”said Pender. “That was a good team win. We ran the bell well, we threw well, the special teams played solidly, the defense played brilliantly. It was just a good all-round soccer game. It is what you are looking for. “
After the Pirates forced a Wildcat three-and-out to open the second half, the Pirates increased the lead to 35-0 on an 8-play, 77-yard drive. A deep ball from Sutton Ellis to Terry Mitchell, in which the second receiver threw himself out of the clutches of two defenders and led 39 yards to the goal line, prepared Simmons 1-yard touchdown run.
Richmond Hill eventually hit the scoreboard in the ensuing drive after possession backed by two penalties on Brunswick’s defense, but it was less than two minutes before the Pirates hit the game clock with another touchdown on a 6-yard run Jayden Drayton responded with 2:46 remaining in third place.
Braunschweig ended the game with an overall offensive of 302 yards, with 169 yards on the ground. Hill led the team with 103 rushing yards in 10 carries.
With the win, the Pirates are getting closer to an absolute regional title as the last undefeated team with two competitions left. Effingham County is the region’s only remaining opponent to lose and will host Brunswick in the regular season finals on November 5th.
However, the pirates are not looking that far ahead yet. First of all, they want to attack the upcoming free week and prepare for the next opponent on the game board.
“I don’t care,” said Pender of the region’s ranking. “We want to get well and take care of Bradwell next week. This is our championship game. It’s senior night. We don’t want to lose the senior night. We have to make sure we’re ready to play. “