Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

AUGUSTA — The Cony football team is in the Pine Tree Conference Class A championship game after it edged Brunswick 21-20 on Saturday night at Alumni Field.

Here’s a few notes, stats and observations from the game ...

• No. 3 Brunswick came in with a simple game plan: Keep Cony quarterback Ben Lucas off the field.

The Dragons (7-3) did just that early.

They received the opening kick and started out at their own 20-yard line with 11 minutes, 54 seconds left in the quarter.

Brunswick then drove to the Cony 19-yard line before Jared Jensen fumbled and turned the ball over. However, it still managed to take a little more than eight minutes off the clock.

Cony went three and out on its first series.

The teams were scoreless after the first quarter, but the Dragons had established early control of the game.

• A few stats from the game ...

Brunswick ran 36 offensive plays in the first half compared to just 20 for Cony. It was a big reason why the Dragons took a 14-7 lead into halftime.

The Rams also had just four first downs in the first half.

Cony, however, turned it around in the second half.

It ran 34 offensive plays and had 11 first downs.

• Brunswick had 412 yards of total offense while Cony had just 276. The difference, of course, was turnovers. Brunswick had three that led to two Cony touchdowns.

• Jared Jensen rushed for 279 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries for Brunswick. Of those 36 carries, exactly half went for five or more yards.

The Cony defense held Jensen to zero or negative yards just twice.

“He’s a tough runner,” Brunswick coach Dan Cooper said. “And he showed it."

• Lucas played well, although he acknowledged he struggled early. He completed just three of his first eight passes.

“I started off slow,” he said. “I think I was hesitant on my ankle. But once I took that first hit, I was OK.”

Lucas suffered an ankle injury in the regular season finale last weekend against Oxford Hills. He was limited a bit at practice this week, and added he wasn’t a threat to scramble Saturday.

“I wasn’t going to run around,” he said.

Lucas threw for 225 yards and a touchdown.

• Cony running back Brandon St. Michel is a viable weapon in the screen game, but doesn’t get his number called enough to be considered one in the ground game.

However, when the Rams needed to kill precious seconds off the clock in the fourth quarter, St. Michel delivered.

He rushed for 51 yards on 13 carries, but 26 of them came in the final five minutes of a 21-20 game.

He rushed for two key first downs late as well.

• Cony wide receiver Chandler Shostak nearly hauled in what would’ve been a catch to end all catches with about two minutes left in the game. Facing third and 21 from the Brunswick 43-yard line,

Lucas aired out a long pass toward the right corner of the end zone.

A fully-extended Shostak nearly corralled the ball in midair for what would’ve been a game-clinching touchdown. Regardless, it was a heck of an effort from the Cony senior.

• Kudos to the spectators who filled Alumni Field. It was a fantastic crowd that numbered into the thousands. Brunswick brought a large contingent of fans as well that helped make for a great atmosphere.

The Rams next play at Lawrence for the PTC A title next weekend.

The guess here is that Keyes Field in Fairfield will be rocking for that one.

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