High school football playoffs: Brunswick fades, loses to Massillon Jackson

JACKSON TWP. — The Brunswick football team needed a spark in a Division I, Region 1 first-round game against Massillon Jackson. They got one, though the circumstances weren't exactly ideal. The spark flamed red hot but eventually flickered, as the 10th-seeded Blue Devils lost a tough 24-17 brawl against the seventh-seeded Polar Bears to end their season at 5-6. Jackson (6-5) will head on the road next week to take on No. 2 seed Mentor (10-0) in a regional quarterfinal. In a play that started innocuously enough, a deep ball thrown by Jackson quarterback Lucas Ecrement was intercepted by Cohen Easa. The interception was taken away on a suspect pass interference call, but what really lit the Blue Devils on fire is what happened next. Back at the original line of scrimmage, a fight broke out that quickly turned into a melee. When the dust settled, two Brunswick players and four Jackson players were ejected. Penalties were a big issue for both teams, with the Blue Devils being flagged 13 times for 114 yards and Jackson nine times for 66. The Polar Pears capitalized initially on the penalty and finished the drive with a 37-yard field goal from Cooper Mizeur to take a 17-3 lead with 6:48 left in the third quarter. Then, with a gutsy and incredible display of physicality and dynamic passing, Sean Barnett (23-of-36 passing, 165 yards, INT; 22 carries, 83 yards, TD) spearheaded a Brunswick rally. "I didn't have the best first half," Barnett said. "I felt I owed my teammates, so I came out there and had a chip on my shoulder. I am a senior and I didn't play all summer, but football was my first love." Barnett and the Brunswick offense struggled mightily through the first two-plus quarters, but the defense played well enough to keep things from getting out of hand. "We had a few games this year when our offense wasn't moving the ball and the defense had to put them in positions to score, even if it's just a field goal," said Eli Nichols, who had a forced fumble and recovery. "I feel like our defense really stepped up. We had a lot of people playing positions they haven't played before, but we had to move around and we had to make adjustments. We were still locked in." When the Blue Devils took over following Mizeur's field goal, they had a paltry 72 yards of offense. They more than matched that behind Barnett and Nichols (13 carries, 36 yards; catch, 7 yards, TD) on a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped by Nichols' 9-yard run to make the score 17-10. Barnett completed 2-of-3 passes for 20 yards to start the drive — the lone incompletion should have been a completion as well — and the offense suddenly opened up. Barnett channeled his inner Pat Mahomes and mixed in some old-school Christian Okoye to keep the drive moving. "It was the scuffle that made us realize that after all we had been through, we have to fight for each other," he said. "Everybody, and not just me, had a chip on their shoulder. We came out ready to hit. I am a quarterback, but I was lowering my shoulder every play. I wanted to win bad." Barnett had runs of 6 and 10 yards that ended with him rolling over multiple defenders. He also pulled off a Houdini-like effort to escape a sack and flip the ball to Nichols, who ran for 10 yards into Jackson territory. Brunswick forced a three-and-out on the Polar Bears' next possession and put together a smashmouth 17-play, 90-yard scoring drive to tie at 17. On the drive, Barnett accounted for all but 3 yards, running nine times for 45 yards and completing 4-of-5 passes for 42. He closed the drive with an 18-yard touchdown run. In just 9:46, the Blue Devils ran 26 plays for a staggering 170 yards after having just 51 yards, three first downs and 65 yards in penalties at the half. "We saw all our players being ejected," Nichols said. "We saw seniors who it was their last time playing football, and they had to go to the locker room and couldn't even watch us. I am proud of everyone who stepped up. We had a lot of underclassmen playing roles they haven't even practiced, and everyone pretty much performed." Anthony Gamboa (9 catches, 59 yards), Easa (5, 36), Tyler Burk (2, 20), Jake Tamosiunas (2, 19), Landen Kirchner (3, 23) and Nichols each hauled in critical receptions during Brunswick's offensive explosion. The total could have been even higher, but an 87-yard scoring pass from Barnett to Kirchner was wiped out on the Blue Devils' first possession of the second half for an illegal man downfield penalty. Jackson made a switch at quarterback, inserting Carter Muhleman for Ecrement (12-of-21 passing, 98 yards, TD, INT; 4 carries, 34 yards), who scored the game's first touchdown when he recovered a Corey Jacobs fumble at the 1-yard line in the end zone. Muhleman played a role in the biggest play of the night when he hit Geno Szymanski on a short route that turned into an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown to put Jackson back in front 24-17 with 7:46 left. Szymanski also had a 42-yard touchdown catch in the first half. Brunswick got the ball back at its own 16-yard line with 7:48 left to play. Barnett was incredible again, leading his team 78 yards on 13 plays down to the Jackson 3-yard line with time running low. The Blue Devils couldn't punch it in this time, getting to the 1 on first down and then getting stuffed three consecutive times to turn the ball over on downs. "We were this close to getting a touchdown and tying it or even going up one and winning this," Nichols said. "I am proud of the effort that our whole team put in. Everyone was dialed in after that scuffle." Jackson picked up a first down on its ensuing possession and ran out the clock. "It was win or go home," Barnett said. "I was doing everything in my power to help us win. We came up short on the 1-yard line. It hurts. Our careers didn't go as planned, but it was special for sure." Vincenzo DiTeodoro was phenomenal in all special teams aspects for the Blue Devils, drilling a 49-yard field goal late in the first half to go with punts of 72, 52 and 49 yards. He also consistently put his kickoffs into the end zone. Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Jackson 24, Brunswick 17 BRUNSWICK &emsp;&emsp;7 7 3 7 — 24 JACKSON &emsp;&emsp;0 3 7 7 — 17 First J — Lucas Ecrement fumble recovery in end zone (Cooper Mizeur kick), :23 Second J — Geno Szymanski 42 pass from Ecrement (Mizeur kick), 4:29 B — Vinny DiTeodoro 49 field goal, :25 Third J — Mizeur 37 field goal, 6:48 B — Eli Nichols 9 run (DiTeodoro kick), 4:07 Fourth B — Sean Barnett 18 run (DiTeodoro kick), 8:02 J — Szymanski 80 pass from Carter Muhleman (Mizeur kick), 7:48 &emsp;&emsp;B &emsp;&emsp;J First downs &emsp;&emsp;21 &emsp;&emsp;14 Rushing &emsp;&emsp;42/142 22/103 Rushing average &emsp;&emsp;3.4 &emsp;&emsp;4.7 Passing &emsp;&emsp;23/36&emsp;&emsp;14/25 Passing yards &emsp;&emsp;165 &emsp;&emsp;180 Total offense &emsp;&emsp;78/307 47/283 Punting &emsp;&emsp;5/48.2 3/48.3 Penalties &emsp;&emsp;13/114 &emsp;&emsp;9/66 Fumbles &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;1/1 &emsp;&emsp;3/1 RUSHING: Brunswick — Barnett 22-83, Nichols 13-36, Anthony Gamboa 1-15, Cohen Easa 3-7, Gavin Ballok 3-1. Jackson — Corey Jacobs 12-56, Ecrement 4-34, Ty Jackson 3-14, Max Cowles 1-4, Team 2-(-5). PASSING: Brunswick — Barnett 23-36-165-1. Jackson — Ecrement 12-21-98-1, Muhleman 2-4-82-0. RECEIVING: Brunswick — Gamboa 9-59, Easa 5-36, Landen Kirchner 3-23, Tyler Burk 2-20, Jake Tamosiunas 2-19, Nichols 1-7, Ballok 1-1. Jackson — Szymanski 2-122, Micah Regimbal 5-23, Rocco Norch 3-17, Cowles 3-16, Jacobs 1-2.