Workhorse Brad Bryant rumbles for 244 yards to carry Livermore Falls past Madison.
MADISON – Brad Bryant isn’t a self-promoter. In a weaker moment after one performance that trumped many high school running backs’ entire career production, though, Bryant conceded that he’s a “horse.”
We’re not talking one of those nimble ponies that might help you carry the second half of the daily double at the county fair. Picture a draft horse dragging two giant cement blocks in front of the main grandstand before casting a forlorn glance at
its trainer, as if to say, “Is that all you’ve got?”
Bryant, a 165-pound senior fullback from Livermore Falls, battered the Madison defense for 47 carries, 244 yards and
two touchdowns Friday night, catapulting the Andies to a critical 18-7 Western Class C victory.
“He’s tougher than a bag of rocks,” said Livermore Falls coach Brad Bishop. “Normally you want your fullback to be about 200 pounds running straight ahead, but there aren’t many kids in our league like that outside of Boothbay. He’s a natural, that’s about all you can say, and I’m glad he’s on our side.”
Bryant averaged just over three yards a pop in the first half. Livermore Falls stuck to its preferred philosophy, however, and Bryant wore down the Bulldogs behind the similarly undersized but feisty offensive line of Tyler Cote and Tom Durrell at tackle, guards Matt Brochu and Jed Hiscock and center Garrett Young.
While Hiscock sat out most of the third quarter with a hip injury, 146-pound junior Billy Greeley stepped into his spot in the trenches, and the Andies never missed a beat. Bryant scored Livermore Falls’ go-ahead touchdown on that series, chalking up runs of 8, 9 and 34 yards before slashing through the middle untouched for the final 17.
“The line stepped it up. I don’t do any of that without them,” said Bryant, one of only five seniors on the roster. “We don’t have a lot of numbers, but we work hard and always seem to be where we need to be.”
Bryant scored a 4-yard TD with 1:15 left in the second quarter to bring the Andies (4-1) within one at 7-6. He lugged the leather eight more times on Livermore’s final scoring series, a march punctuated by quarterback Dane Hanson’s 3-yard plunge with 4:28 to go in the fourth.
“When you’re on the field that long, you’re eventually going to break down defensively,” said Madison coach Chris LeBlanc. “They found our weakness and ran it, ran it, ran it down our throats on that
side.”
Madison (3-2) did itself no favors offensively, either. The Bulldogs only score came on their first play from scrimmage, a 63-yard strike from Justin Watt to Paul Brousseau.
“My heart sank when that happened,” admitted Bishop.
But the surprise aerial merely roused the Andies, who forced five turnovers. Durrell recovered two fumbles, and Chuck Drake, Tyler Cote and Cole Flagg each added an interception.
The win was especially important for Livermore Falls given the state of the Campbell Conference this season. While two or three teams typically dominate the division, there are five currently within striking distance of the top.
Only four will make the playoffs.
“We figured winning this game would give us a chance to finish no worse than 6-3,” said Bryant, whose team bounced back from a 32-7 home loss to Boothbay.
The finishing kick by Livermore Falls’ horse may have given the Andies a leg up on a possible photo finish come Halloween night.
“At the beginning of the season, I circled two games on my schedule,” Bishop said. “Winthrop, who we played in our first game when they were healthy (a 35-0 Andies win), and this one. We didn’t want to go to 3-2 with Lisbon and Jay still ahead.”
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