GARDINER — The Gardiner football team pushed its winning streak to three games Friday night, rolling past a frustrated Brunswick squad that stopped the game with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers (3-1) cruised to a 41-0 victory at Hoch Field. Senior quarterback Wyatt Chadwick led the way for the Tigers, completing 17 of 34 passes for 244 yards, while rushing for 92 yards on nine carries. He also scored four touchdowns, three rushing and one passing.
“It feels really good, we haven’t been 3-1 in a while,” Chadwick said. “All this practice has been really paying off and we have a really good team this year. We’re all excited.”
Chadwick’s final touchdown of the night — a 35-yard run — made it a 41-0 game late in the fourth quarter. After a missed extra point attempt, first-year Brunswick coach Brandon Dorsett had a conversation with the referees on the field. Moments later, the Dragons ran to the end zone and the game was halted.
Dorsett could not be reached for comment after the game.
Chadwick and the Tigers got it rolling early and never looked back en route to the victory.
“It was great to see Wyatt, a second year captain, just kind of be like, ‘Hey, I’m going to take control of this thing,’” Gardiner head coach Pat Munzing said. “That was one of the challenges we presented to him this week… He took it upon himself and the guys kind of rallied around him. They know if they run their routes hard and run the right stuff, the ball is coming.”
Colton Dube also provided punch on the ground for Gardiner, rushing for 89 yards on 22 carries. He scored two touchdowns.
Gardiner defensive back Cole Brann, right, intercepts a ball intended for Brunswick tight end Hunter Duval during a Class B North football game Friday at Hoch Field in Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
The Tigers put forth their strongest effort on both sides of the ball Friday night. Their offense opened with consistent pounding up the middle from Dube, before opening up the air attack with Chadwick, who had no issues spreading the ball to his receivers on screens and slants. His lone touchdown pass came on a screen to Hunter Burgess for a 28-yard score in the first quarter.
Gardiner’s defense was just as efficient, making life miserable for Brunswick (0-4). The Tigers forced three turnovers, one on a fumble, along with two interceptions.
“(Balance) was the mindset coming into the week,” Chadwick said. “This was the best week of practice we’ve had since the start of the season. We put it all together at practice and then executed on the field. That was really great.”
“It was the best week of practice they had,” Munzing added. “We were really dialed in on some things that we needed to correct over the last couple of weeks. To be able to come out and dominate on both sides of the ball and special teams and get guys where they needed to be, that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Brunswick fought throughout, but suffered through injuries and penalties. The Dragons lost starting quarterback Quinn McCaffrey and backup Cam Beal during the game, forcing freshman Robert Bowen to take snaps. Beal was 2 of 5 passing for 31 yards.
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