Brewer balance prevails Caldwell, Wilson run past Trojans

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BREWER – Mount Desert Island played good defense in its first three games, shutting out its first two opponents.

Friday night, the Trojans were forced to deal with one of the most versatile attacks in the PTC Class B football ranks.

Senior fullback Ben Caldwell powered his way to 117 yards and a touchdown while senior halfback Zach Wilson sped to 88 yards and three scores to spearhead Brewer to a 51-0 victory over MDI at Doyle Field.

Coach Ed Ortego’s 3-1 Witches amassed 421 yards of offense, including 314 on the ground, in a dominating performance.

“I wanted our kids to be a little more excited, coming back home after a couple weeks away,” Ortego said. “They were very workmanlike; they were focused on getting the job done with fewer mistakes than in the past.”

Brewer scored on eight of its nine possessions and did not have to punt, keeping the Trojans (2-2) guessing with its multifaceted option scheme.

“Gardiner at Waterville were two tough games away and it was good to come home and get a big win,” Wilson said.

Caldwell provided the power element, while Wilson combined speed and toughness on the outside. Quarterback Ricky Porter netted 40 yards on nine carries and was 2-for-2 passing, but was utilized less often because of a hip pointer suffered early in the contest.

Backup quarterback Ricky Adams also played well, going 4-for-6 through the air for 61 yards and a TD.

“We’ve got our running backs and we actually have a throwing game now, which we haven’t had in the past,” Caldwell said. “We have multiple threats with our option offense.”

The Witches’ efficient offensive line paved the way to the evening’s success. Tackles Jamie Ecker and Scott Helmke, guards Matt Cormier and Matt Wilson and center Zack Sherry opened up consistently big holes for their teammates.

“They had an excellent game tonight,” Caldwell said. “They were pushing them around, showing them who’s boss.”

Brewer’s defense was equally impressive, limiting MDI to 110 total yards, 56 of which came on its final possession. Junior linebacker James Butts set the tone for the Witches with 10 tackles, while Caldwell was in on eight tackles.

The Trojans didn’t cross midfield until Odane Gaynor’s 8-yard run on the last play of the third quarter.

“The defense was huge,” Wilson said.

Linebacker Sam Wilson was a beast on the MDI defense, making a game-best 15 tackles. Vincent Poirier Moore and Andrew Leiser were in on eight each.

Brewer fumbled at the MDI 13-yard line on its first possession, then got back to work.

Caldwell’s 45-yard burst off left tackle set up an 8-yard scoring run by Porter that capped a three-play, 50-yard march with 4:20 left in the first quarter. Dan Juilli booted the first of four successful PATs.

Brewer went 68 yards on six plays on its next possession, sparked by a 23-yard pass from Porter to Ryan Babin. Wilson scored on a 5-yard run at 9:21 of the second quarter.

“The line was awesome tonight; huge holes,” Wilson said.

The Witches then drove 65 yards on eight plays on their ensuing offensive series. Porter and Babin hooked up for another 23-yard pass that set up Caldwell’s 21-yard charge through the middle.

Juilli added a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the quarter, making it 23-0 at intermission.

Other highlights included Wilson’s 52-yard punt return for a TD midway through the third quarter and his tackle-busting, 24-yard scoring burst five minutes later.

BREWER 51, MDI 0

MDI (2-2) 0 0 0 0 – 0

Brewer (3-1) 7 16 21 7 – 51

B – Porter 8 run (Juilli kick)

B – Z. Wilson 1 run (Juilli kick)

B – Caldwell 21 run (rush failed)

B – Juilli 25 field goal

B – Brown 15 pass from Adams (Juilli kick)

B – Z. Wilson 52 punt return (Juilli kick)

B – Z. Wilson 24 run (Brown kick)

B – Ngo 3 run (Coombs kick)

MDI Brewer

First downs 8 22

Rushing att.-yards 34-71 35-314

Passing comp.-att. 2-9 6-8

Passing yards 39 107

Total yards 110 421

Punts-avg. 6-29.0 0-0

Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-1

Intercepted by 0 1

Penalties-yards 6-42 6-50

Rushing

MDI: Gaynor 7-48, Murphy 9-28, Team 1-7, Hall 1-2, Erickson 1-2, Keene 4-(minus 5), Crawford 11-(minus 11); Brewer: Caldwell 10-117, Z. Wilson 9-88, Porter 9-40, Adams 3-28, Ngo 3-20, Bush 4-17, Oldmixon 1-4, Smith 1-0

Passing

MDI: Erickson 1-2-21-1, Harris 1-1-18-0, Crawford 0-6-0-0; Brewer: Adams 4-6-61-0, Porter 2-2-46-0

Receiving

MDI: Smith 2-39; Brewer: Babin 2-46, Porter 2-32, Brown 1-15, Z. Wilson 1-14

A-750 (est.)