Brewer defeats Winslow for title Gridiron crown first since 1970

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WINSLOW – The drive lasted 6 minutes, 23 seconds, stretched over two quarters, ate up 66 yards of Poulin Field turf, and required 13 plays, but it effectively erased 35 years of Brewer High School football frustration.

It also typified the Brewer Witches’ entire effort as they combined fundamental execution and mental toughness with blood-and-guts, smash-mouth play to beat top-seeded and previously unbeaten Winslow at the Black Raiders’ own game.

The third-seeded Witches’ 21-10 victory in Saturday afternoon’s Eastern Maine and Pine Tree Conference Class B championship game gave them their first football title since an undefeated, nationally ranked, and storied Brewer squad won the state championship in 1970.

It also sends the 9-2 Witches into Saturday’s state final against York at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland and ends another futility streak dating back to 1991, the last time Brewer defeated Winslow on the gridiron.

“I think that’s actually one of the reasons we came out today and gave it everything we had. We were tired of going home every year being the underdog,” said junior offensive guard and defensive tackle Matt Wilson. “It’s never been a physical thing when we’ve played Winslow. It’s always been a mental thing.”

The Witches’ propensity for mistakes against Winslow has clung to them like skunk odor and hung over their heads like a swarm of black flies, especially over the last year. Brewer had committed 14 turnovers in its last two games against Winslow.

It didn’t look like things would be any different early. The Witches came out of the opening kickoff on fire as Ricky Adams returned it 51 yards to the Winslow 32-yard line and Brewer used three runs to get a first-and-goal at the W-9, but momentum evaporated as quickly as it started. The Witches had a 5-yard TD run nullified by a holding penalty and almost fumbled on a 4-yard loss before a 34-yard field goal attempt by Dan Juilli barely missed the uprights.

Winslow then marched to the B-34 before Ricky Porter intercepted Raiders quarterback Stephen Siviski’s first pass at the B-11. But again, momentum was yanked away from the Witches when Winslow’s Brendan Weed recovered a Zach Wilson fumble at the B-15.

Six plays (all runs) later, Winslow scored on Siviski’s 1-yard TD run and Ben Poulin’s PAT kick and what was an apparent 7-0 Brewer lead 81/2 minutes earlier became a 7-0 Winslow lead with 1:56 left in the first quarter.

“This game started a lot like our other losses to Winslow. We had the penalty and the fumble in the red zone and the kids got out of sorts, but our leaders stepped forward, guys ran hard, and they settled us down,” said Witches coach Ed Ortego. “All of a sudden, our kids realized they weren’t giving an inch and started coming back.”

Brewer’s team motto this year is “Inch by inch.” In fact, players in the huddle and on the sidelines began chanting it.

“After that penalty and the fumble, we started to slip a little bit, but we knew the past couple times we’ve done that, we’ve lost. We haven’t done anything good,” said senior captain Ben Caldwell. “We were determined this game not to screw ourselves over again like that. We were going to come back and play football. We weren’t going to mess around.”

Caldwell helped lead the charge back and take advantage of a break when Winslow was whistled for too many men on the field, nullifying a Brewer punt and giving the Witches a first down at their 37.

The Witches ran nine plays (five Caldwell runs) and capped the extended drive with a textbook 17-yard TD run by Porter, who followed his blockers.

Juilli’s PAT kick tied it, but Winslow responded with a 65-yard kick return by Justin Lindie and a six-play scoring drive capped by Poulin’s 23-yard field goal to make it 10-7 Raiders with 4:30 left in the half.

The refocused Witches had an answer as well, however. Adams returned the kickoff 23 yards to set up a four-play TD drive capped by a dramatic fourth-and-four run by Caldwell. He burst off left tackle and galloped 35 yards for a TD.

The game-changing play was preceded by a timeout in which the Witches debated the merits of going for it and then decided what play to call.

“One of our tackles said ’37-X. That’s going to work. It’s been open all game,'” said Caldwell (24 carries, 137 yards).

“We had a play we hadn’t run, and our problem was we were having a hard time blocking No. 31 [Winslow’s Brandon Bellows], so we came up with a play where we had [tackle Jamie Ecker] coming down on 31,” Ortego explained. “It freed the hole up and nobody saw him coming.”

With 1:40 left in the half, Ecker sacked Siviski and forced a fumble recovered by Zach Wilson at the W-25. The Witches drove 11 yards, but couldn’t score as Porter was sacked on third down and forced to throw an interception on fourth down as time expired.

Despite the missed scoring opportunity, the Witches would not let momentum be wrested away. Winslow’s Lindie took the first down handoff 43 yards to the B-21, but two plays later, Adams made a leaping, twisting interception of Siviski at the 2. Brewer didn’t score on its next possession, but used up 8 minutes while moving 72 yards in 14 plays, and then forced Winslow to go three plays and punt, setting up the defining, streak-shredding drive.

It started meekly enough with 28 seconds left in the third as Adams lost three yards on his punt return and Caldwell’s first down gain was wiped out by an illegal motion penalty, but 13 plays and another penalty later, Caldwell’s fifth run of the possession was off right tackle and a yard into the end zone to give Brewer a 21-10 lead with 6:05 left in the game.

The drive was aided greatly by a 5-yard option run by Porter and pitch to Zach Wilson, who took it another 26 yards, and a short pass to the right flat from Porter to Wilson that went for 17 yards.

The Witches dominated in almost every facet, racking up 336 total yards while holding Winslow to half that amount and holding the ball for just more than 32 of the 48 minutes.

“It seemed like we were on defense the entire game. Our kids got tired as the game wore on,” said Winslow defensive coordinator Jim Poulin. “Their execution was flawless.”

Brewer’s offensive line of center Zach Sherry, tackles Ecker and Scott Helmke, and guards Matt Wilson and Matt Cormer paved the way for 299 rushing yards.

“Every play, first snap, you had to stay on your man through the whistle and not let down once,” said Sherry.

WITCHES 21, BLACK RAIDERS 10

Brewer (9-2) 0 14 0 7 – 21

Winslow (10-1) 7 3 0 0 – 10

W-Siviski 1 run (Poulin kick)

B-Porter 17 run (Juilli kick)

W-Poulin 23 field goal

B-Caldwell 35 run (Juilli kick)

B-Caldwell 1 run (Juilli kick)

Brewer Winslow

First downs 19 5

Rushing att.-yards 59-299 27-117

Passing comp.-att. 3-5 1-6

Passing yards 37 1

Total yards 336 118

Punts-avg. 1-21.0 2-39.5

Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-1

Intercepted by 2 0

Penalties-yards 7-50 2-20

Rushing

Brewer: Caldwell 24-137, Z. Wilson 17-83, Porter 15-81, Adams 1-2, Brown 2-(minus 4); Winslow: Lindie 14-90, Goulette 5-32, Maroon 3-3, Siviski 5-(minus 8)

Passing

Brewer: Porter 3-5-0-37; Winslow: Siviski 1-6-2-1

Receiving

Brewer: Z. Wilson 2-29, Roberts 1-8; Winslow: Mellows 1-1

A-2,000 (est.)