BRUNSWICK — It might have been easy for the Brunswick High School football team to overlook this game.

After handing Brewer its first loss of the season last week and taking control of Class B North, the Dragons played host to a two-win Mt. Blue team on Friday night. 

Not so much.

On his very first snap of the game, quarterback Christian Jensen launched a ball deep down the sideline for wide receiver Jackson Gordon, who caught it in stride, broke a tackle and ran into the end zone 72 yards down the field.

A touchdown on each of its next five drives put the game away and gave Brunswick a 51-15 Pine Tree Conference win.

“We just try to stay very focused all week,” Jensen said. “Not let down at all, just act like this is the hardest game of the year, every week. Just keep focus.”

With a run-first offense and an early lead, Brunswick (7-0) kept Mt. Blue (2-5) honest and aired it out early. Up 13-0 midway through the first quarter, Jensen followed up a 36-yard dash from Garrett with a 20-yard pass down the sideline to Jesse Devereaux. That moved the ball to the 11-yard line, where Garrett ran it in on the next play.

After forcing a third straight punt from Mt. Blue, Jensen handed it off to Ben Palizay for a 15-yard scoot on the first play of the drive. Then, Jensen hit Devereaux again on an 18-yard pass play to move into the red zone. A 10-yard rush from Devereaux and a QB sneak later and it was 27-0.

“Coach (Dan) Cooper really wanted to start the game out firing,” Jensen said. “So, we just kept trying it and it was working out.”

Garrett, who broke free on a 36-yard run during the Dragons’ third touchdown drive, led the way in the backfield, rushing four times for 113 yards. Three of those four runs went for over 30 yards.

With five minutes to go in the first half, Garrett scored again from 33-yards out on just the second play of the drive to make the score 35-7. Just before halftime, he flew 40 yards straight up the middle for another touchdown.

“I don’t think people can fully appreciate how good their offensive line is,” Mt. Blue coach Jim Aylward said. “They’re quick. You look at them, they’re not the most intimidating kids in uniform, but they’re so quick, they’re so assignment-sound in what they do. And then when you hand the ball to either Devereaux, 27 (Ben Palizay) or Garrett, who runs like the wind, they give them room, and those kids know what to do with it.”

One and done

Mt. Blue ran no more than five plays and punted at the end of each of its first four drives of the game. The lone touchdown in the first half came on the fifth possession, where lead running back Makeo Thompson got going and the Cougars put together a long sequence.

Aided by a pair of Brunswick penalties, Aylward’s squad ran the ball on eight of nine plays on the 60-yard drive before Thompson found the corner and ran it in for an 8-yard score. Kicker Isabelle Thomas hit the extra point.

“We have a really good left side of the offensive line with Miles Pelletier and Brandon Durrell and we run behind them a lot,” Aylward said. “It’s been one of the most successful things we’ve done this year.”

Thomas led the Cougars offensively with 58 yards and the touchdown on 12 carries.

Unfortunately for Mt. Blue, Garrett’s second touchdown came less than 20 seconds after Thomas’ score in the first half. On the second-half kickoff, Garrett took the ball back 74 yards for his fourth touchdown of the game.

From there, the Brunswick starters were pulled.

Jensen finished 3-of-4 for 110 yards and a touchdown through the air while rushing for 25 yards and another score. Devereaux (38 receiving yards) picked up 27 yards on four carries and Palizay added 23 yards and a 2-point conversion run.

Mt. Blue quarterback Cole Dorman completed a pass to Cooper Hollingsworth and rushed four times for 33 yards. Nate Everett (43 total yards) rushed for a touchdown and converted the 2-point conversion with 10:37 left on the clock.

After the game, Thomas met up with Devereaux on the way to the locker room and said, “You guys will roll over Nokomis, no problem.” You can be sure the Dragons won’t be thinking that way next Saturday at 1 p.m.

“We just have to stay hungry and keep our foot on the gas every week,” Garrett said. “That’s what the coaches critique us on every single practice and that’s why we work so hard throughout the week.”

“They’re an outstanding football team,” Aylward said. “If there’s better teams in the state, I’d like to see them. I think they match up with anybody.”