by Olmsted Falls, OH – What a difference one weeks makes for Brunswick. A week after falling to the Avon Eagles 38-0, they bounced back in a big way. The Blue Devils overcame injuries and an early deficit to rebound with a 28-21 thrilling win in Olmsted Falls.
Ethan Fritz did everything he could to put the Blue Devils on his back and lead them. He finished with 179 yards on 9 of 21 passing with 2 touchdowns along the way. Injuries to running backs forced Fritz to run the ball as well, as he compiled 19 yards on the ground and had the go ahead touchdown in the fourth.
His top threat was the speedy JD Serwatka who hauled in three passes for 111 yards and two long touchdowns. Dante Ramicone also had a touchdown catch. Caid Som hauled in two passes for 17 yards to extend drives as well.
The only real running game the Blue Devils could speak of came from Luke Petrowski who had 79 yards on three carries.
The vaunted Bulldogs rushing attacked looked strong in the first half, but couldn’t seem to overcome an energized Blue Devils attack in the second half. Rocco Conti had 74 yards on 13 carries while Clay Vormelker was held to 20 yards on 9 carries and Michael Candow was held to 28 yards on 7 carries with a touchdown.
Candow also had a touchdown reception as he was Charlie Cioleks top threat tonight. Candow had 7 receptions for 80 yards while Conti brought in 4 passes for 41 yards.
Ciolek had a strong start, but a rough finish with 3 interceptions and a fumble all coming in the second half. Charlie had 172 passing on 15 of 26 passing. He also ran 7 times for 38 yards, a fumble and a touchdown.
After forcing the Blue Devils to a 3 and out on their opening drive, the Bulldogs took over deep in their own territory. They promptly strung together a 10 play, 77-yard drive with 9 runs along the way. The final one coming on a fourth and short from the 10 as quarterback Charlie Ciolek took it to the house for the games first points. 4 different Bulldogs carried the ball on the drive, with the biggest run on a 23-yard jaunt by Conti.
After another three and out from Brunswick, the Bulldogs started their next drive on their own 9 after a booming punt by the Brunswick punter. They couldn’t move the ball and the field possession battle swung in favor of the Blue Devils who would field a punt in Bulldog territory shortly after, and start their next drive at the Olmsted Falls 37.
Brunswick wasted no time taking advantage of the great field position. After a first down false start, they made it right with a 41-yard touchdown strike from Ethan Fritz to JD Serwatka. The extra point attempt was bobbled however, and the Blue Devils had to settle for 6 points. The score remained 7-6 Falls at quarter end.
The Bulldogs came roaring back to open up the second quarter with another long drive that saw several fourth down conversions along with completions of 8, 10 and 11 yards. It was long, methodical and effective.
A Ciolek 16 yard run late in the drive would place it first and goal from the one. A moment later, it was Luke Dieckman taking it in from a yard out to increase the lead to 14-6. It was a good mix at that point, as they had already had 7 different Bulldogs carry the ball, along with 4 different Bulldogs with a reception.
The Blue Devils wasted little time to answer, as on their very next play from scrimmage, it was Ethan Fritz handing it off to Som who then stopped and found a wide-open JD Serwatka for a massive 64-yard touchdown toss. There was no one within 10 yards of the receiver on his way to the end zone. They would then convert a 2-point attempt, tying the game at 14 with 8:44 to play in the first half.
On an insanely hot night, the Bulldogs did the smart thing to answer once again. Short chunk plays, dink and dunk all the way down the field as they rattled off a 8 plus minute long drive. Once again, complete with several fourth down conversions. The methodical run and short pass attack would pay off again as they scored on a one-yard Candow run with 7 seconds to go.
The half would finish with Olmsted Falls having run 43 plays, next to Brunswick’s 9. Olmsted Falls took a 21-14 lead into the break.
After a long kickoff return by Rocco Conti, the Bulldogs started the second half at their own 44-yard line. They were then sparked by a nice pitch and catch from Ciolek to Candow to get them down to the Blue Devils 37. The drive would eventually stall, giving the ball back to Brunswick at their own 20.
Brunswick used long connections from Fritz to Caid Som and Dominic Ferraro to help the Blue Devils march the ball down the field in a hurry. Eventually, Fritz would find Dante Ramicone on a screen pass that he received some nice blocking to find the end zone from 12 yards out. This tied the game at 21 with 7:05 to go in the third quarter. The game would remain tied at the end of the third quarter with the Blue Devils driving following a Ciolek interception.
Still tied at 21 with 8:48 to go the Blue Devils took over from their 18-yard line. It appeared for a moment that Olmsted Falls would hold them to a three and out, but a facemask kept the drive alive.
They struck instantly with their second chance with a 66-yard Luke Petrowski dash down the middle of the field. Then a 13-yard strike to Conin Som would put Brunswick at the goal line. A few plays later it was Fritz sneaking in from one yard out, giving Brunswick a 28-21 lead with 6:46 to play.
Olmsted Falls would get one more chance with 2:17 to go, starting on their 47 after a botched Brunswick punt. A 14-yard Conti run would get the drive going into Brunswick territory. A few moments later, Brunswick picked of Ciolek for the third time on the night, and that was how it ended.
Players of the game
Brunswick QB Ethan Fritz with 179 passing yards, 3 TD’s and also a rushing TD that won the game.
Olmsted Falls RB Rocco Conti with nearly 200 all purposes counting rushing, receiving and kick returning.
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