They’ve played just twice in the last three years, so there’s no grudge through repetition. They sit approximately 60 miles apart, so there’s no disdain through proximity.

Brunswick and Lawrence high schools do not have a football rivalry, not quite yet.

“It’s just two good football teams trying to get to the next step,” Brunswick coach Dan Cooper said.

The results of those two games, however, were Brunswick wins, both in the playoffs in front of large crowds at Lawrence’s Keyes Field. With Lawrence 7-0 heading into Friday night’s Pine Tree Conference game, and Brunswick 6-1, first place in the league is at stake.

That’s the reason this game between Lawrence and Brunswick is anticipated like Christmas morning by football fans around the state, and with the recent history between the teams in mind, this could be the tipping point that turns Lawrence-Brunswick into a bona fide, we don’t like you, you don’t like us rivalry.

“The past two years, it’s a big deal for us,” Lawrence center/linebacker Josh Perry said.

To recap, Lawrence went into the PTC A playoffs last season as the undefeated top seed, with an 8-0 record. The Bulldogs hosted No. 8 Brunswick, which was 5-3, and built a 13-0 first half lead. The Dragons rallied to take a 14-13 win.

Perry was one of a handful of Lawrence players who missed that game with an injury. Out with a broken ankle, Perry remembers not being able to contribute.

“It was very frustrating, especially not being able to do anything,” Perry said. “I always want to be out there with my teammates, working hard, but I just couldn’t do it.”

In 2009, Brunswick came to Fairfield as the No. 3 team in the playoffs, and beat the second-ranked Bulldogs, 27-14.

Lawrence coach John Hersom doesn’t want his team dwelling on the losses to the Dragons over the last two years. Those games are over, and all the Bulldogs can do is try not to duplicate the mistakes made in those defeats.

“We always give our opponents credit. We don’t really get hung up with opponents beating us. In a loss, we often tend to focus on what it was that we did or didn’t do, rather than have negative thoughts about the opponent,” Hersom said. “That’s kind of our approach. We don’t consider any game a game where we’ve got to get revenge on a loss that happened a year ago.”

Most of the members of the Brunswick High School football team have never lost to Lawrence, and they’re the only active high school football players in the conference who can say that. When Lawrence beat Brunswick in the 2008 regular season, this year’s seniors were just freshmen.

Cooper said the Dragons embrace the Keyes Field experience, with the large crowd that seems to be right on top of the field.

“Our kids just like going up there,” Cooper said.

Cooper knows a little bit about Lawrence’s football history. The full name of Lawrence’s home field is Keyes Field at Pete Cooper Stadium. Former Lawrence coach Pete Cooper, who coached the Bulldogs for 28 years, to three state titles and 199 wins, is Dan’s uncle, and Dan even worked as an assistant coach at Lawrence in 1998.

With all that in mind, Cooper doesn’t want his team dwelling on the past, either.

“That’s over,” he said.

Since losing on opening night to Bangor 21-20, Brunswick has won six games in a row. For the second straight season, the Dragons could hand Lawrence its first loss. The key difference this time is, nobody’s season ends this weekend. Both the Dragons and the Bulldogs are playoff bound.

There’s a chance they’ll meet again then, when it’s win or go home. If that’s the case, no matter if it’s in Fairfield or Brunswick, then we’ll call this a football rivalry.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Copy the Story Link