When it comes to football, momentum is important. In the case of Brunswick’s (5-5) 36-33 win over Strongsville on Friday night at Pat Catan Stadium, momentum was everything.
When it comes to football, momentum is important.
In the case of Brunswick’s (5-5) 36-33 win over Strongsville on Friday night at Pat Catan Stadium, momentum was everything.
The Mustangs (5-3) held the early edge, capitalizing on two Blue Devil turnovers to take a 26-10 lead with time winding down in the first half. But just when it seemed Strongsville was running away with the game, Brunswick quarterback James Grega found Steve Uhler for a 20-yard touchdown with: 07 seconds left in the half and the tables were turned.
“After we got the touchdown right at the end of the half, we had the momentum going in,” said Brunswick coach Luke Beal. “You could just see it in their eyes.”
Beal wasn’t kidding. His Blue Devils unleashed a powerful rushing attack in the second half and scored 18 unanswered points to make it 36-26 with just 2:53 to go in the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs, however, did not go down quietly.
Less than a minute after it appeared Brunswick had the game in hand, Strongsville quarterback Austin Pritchard hit tight end Ray Hamilton for a 36-yard touchdown. Following the extra point, the Mustangs were back within a field goal.
Making matters even more dramatic, Strongsville held the Blue Devils on their next drive and got the ball back with 1:00 minute left in the game. But Strongsville’s excitement turned to disappointment when Pritchard was sacked on his own 25-yard line with: 06 seconds remaining.
The Mustangs tried one last play, desperately lobbing the ball to each other in a series of lateral passes, but the Blue Devils sniffed it out and tackled the last man with the ball as time expired.
“We couldn’t stop the running game,” said Strongsville coach Russ Jacques. We knew that had to be a priority for us going in.
“They just lined up and ran it and we didn’t have an answer for it. That’s something that we have to fix.”